The Truth About Fictional Worlds
by Goombario64
Summary: After Timothy Stevens discovered the Nintendo Worlds actually exist and he has gained combat abilities similar to Mario's, he ends up journeying through the Pokémon World, all while dealing with an inner emotional struggle. Some Non-Nintendo worlds will occur. There's another Pokémon character that will become a main character somewhat early on, but it's a secret for now!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Secrets: they define the glue that holds society together – much more than lies do. I suppose I should know, since my life has been full of revealing them. Full of both loving and hating to expose the greatest secrets known to man. Full of constantly disillusioning virtually everyone I ever knew, simply so that they could live and let live, when they should have already been able to. But I've come to find out that that is, unfortunately, not the best option. In fact, it _isn't_ an option, yet I am doing it anyway. I can no longer keep it to myself; the Truth has to be revealed.

This truth can only fully be explained through telling the story of my life. I am a part of it, after all, and apparently, I am a large chunk of it (so large, in fact, that I have been cast out into unfamiliar territory, so as to shut me up). To describe it in one sentence is still possible, yet you must keep an open mind. This is not a prank. It is no joke – there is nothing to laugh at. In a sense, the truth opens the doors that mark the limits of imagination – if there are any. It is that many fictional worlds – whether they are from video games, books, movies, or all three – actually, in all truthfulness, exist. Such statements often fall into the categories of Fiction and Fantasy, but rest assured – it is anything _but_ that.

It is with great urgency that I reveal this truth up front. Should this revelation be taken down before it is finished, at the very least I will have informed someone of the main fact of impossible worlds being possible. It grieves me to think of my oppressors reaching me before the entirety of the truth is told. I shudder to think of what they would do to your world.

Now then, I wasn't born knowing this secret; on the contrary, I didn't know of it until merely two weeks before I turned 13. Ironically, I'd played video games my whole life and never once made the connection. To me, there was no connection to be made, which, of course, blinded me from uncovering the reality behind reality. The circumstances of just how I discovered this are made complicated by the fact that, if I suspected the secret existed in the first place, I would have never found it to be true. This will be elaborated on more later, but do not forget it; you'll wish you hadn't.

Discovering the Truth requires discovering a world that is familiar to many modern-day people – the Mario World, which is technically the "Mushroom World." This happened to be the world that I "lived" in throughout most of my childhood, and I came upon its existence on accident. Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps it was my destiny. Or perhaps it was sheer luck. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it were all three, but I'll never know for sure.

I uncovered the Mushroom World by doing the simplest and most innocent of things. Instead of breaking into a top-secret facility, or conning someone into letting me in, or solving some kind of intricate puzzle, I only did what I always did – the task of replacing an old trash bag with a new one. It seems too bland to be true, but I'm not lying; that is what I was doing.

I crawled under the sink to get to the trash bag box, as I had done for over a year. But this time was different. I paused, feeling the difference, and thought to myself, "I feel like something is...underneath me. But...what?" At that moment, the floor dropped from under me, as if it were a trap door. I slid and slid down the slippery slope I'd fallen into; it was enclosed, dark, damp, and smelled of mildew. What awaited me on the other side made me question my sanity, yet I knew I wasn't just seeing things.

Everything felt all too real to not be, and it couldn't be a dream – that I was sure of. I didn't really know what to think, aside from how I knew where I was, disregarding if it was possible or impossible. I knew I had arrived in the Mushroom World, as I recognized the kind of pipe I'd fallen through; it was a Warp Pipe, no question. Additionally, everywhere I looked, I saw floating blocks, giant mushrooms that appeared to move, and creatures from straight out of the Mario games, such as Goombas.

Being a Mario fanatic, I didn't attempt to explain or contradict what was going on, and instead walked around for a good while. Eventually, I stumbled upon the castle-to-end-all-castles – or at least, that's how I saw it. It was Princess Peach's Castle, perfectly resembling its appearance in _Super Mario 64_. It was there that I met the famous Mario, along with his brother Luigi, and the world's most popular female video game character, Princess Peach.

Originally, I was nervous beyond belief. As things went on, however, I mellowed out and revealed where I was from to them. Mario and Luigi, feeling a connection with me (due to also being from Earth, which they referred to as the "Real World"), gave me a tour of the castle, with Peach accompanying us. The layout of the inside was a sort-of combination between its appearances in _Super Mario 64_ and _Paper Mario_. After some time, we arrived at the roof of the castle. While I would have loved to keep talking to the three, the event that occurred next was equally exciting. The Mario Brothers now had more company than just me; Bowser had arrived.

He showed up in an airship resembling that of the airships in _Super Mario Galaxy_. Bowser was also accompanied by background music equaling the Airship Theme remix from the game _New Super Mario Bros. Wii_, which wouldn't be released publicly until months later. It became immediately clear what his goal was – to kidnap the Princess (what else would it be?). Mario and Luigi made Peach and I get behind them, which Bowser laughed at. It was right when he laughed that his airship's wooden plank, situated at the front of the ship, touched the scarlet rooftop. Mario and Luigi both ran to confront Bowser, but this action was in vain; a towering, multi-colored blur rushed up from the floor of the airship and back down to directly hit the Mario Bros. at such an angle that the Bros. were shot 45 degrees up in the air and to my left, launching them off the side of the castle.

Peach was in horror of the hit and the Bros.' unknown condition, yet she could do little to stop anything. The blur paused a few feet in front of her, and was a blur no more. This revealed its true colors; instead of one enemy, it was four. They were the Koopa Bros. This didn't seem to surprise Peach one bit, and thankfully, she kept her cool for the moment.

The Koopa Bros. introduced themselves in a classic flashy manner, not unlike their first appearance in _Paper Mario._ Their names were simply the color of their shell: Red, Black, Green, and Yellow. Red, the leader, suggested Peach come without a fight, but she refused. Red then called for the other three to seize her.

All hope seemed to be lost, given that I couldn't do anything whatsoever to save her. But then, as if some supernatural force was at work, an item appeared right in front of me. It was not just any item, though. It was the one thing that just might even the odds if I got lucky. The timely object was none-other-than a Smash Ball. I grabbed it without hesitation. A sphere with such an ability to exhibit the best any living thing has to offer...that would have clearly been the perfect equalizer. Little did I know, it would be much more than that.

Seconds after snatching it, the Smash Ball glowed white, instead of its usual rainbow coloring. It shattered while I gazed into it, enveloping me in a kind of power I'd never felt before. Never had I felt so confident. Never had I felt so in control. Never had I felt so secure. Now I knew what I had to do: stop the Koopa Bros. – at all costs. This is exactly what I did, yet I never had to go anywhere or do anything – the Smash Ball did it all for me.

Out of nowhere, I raised my hands up and formed a blue, blazing fireball right over my head, the size of half my body. I threw it down at the Koopa Bros. with both hands, and the fireball exploded on impact, sending the four straight back onto the airship. Bowser called for them to get back up and go after me, but all four of them were out cold. Bowser then began to come after me himself; I answered this with another fireball, this time at twice the size of the first one. Bowser was launched back onto his ship, and when he got up, he seemed to feel as if he'd met his match. He flew away on his airship like the coward he was, and with that, it was over.

I can't explain just how I had such abilities inside me at the time; I can only assume that a Smash Ball reveals not what its user can currently do, but rather, what they _will be able_ to do. This makes sense, considering that a character in _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ would undoubtedly use their ultimate attack all the time, if they could.

Peach was absolutely astonished, and so was I. The Smash Ball's effect over me ended, and all was quiet, including the music. The silence was broken when the doors leading inside to the upper hall of the castle opened. We turned to find Mario and Luigi walking out, unscathed and unaffected by their fall. Peach apparently wasn't concerned over their fall at all, and in hind sight, I shouldn't have been, either; I neglected to remember just how great the two Bros. were at surviving the impossible.

Mario and Luigi...of all things, they congratulated and thanked me for what I'd done. I noticed the doors they came out of had small windows, and I guessed that they'd been watching. I was right. You have no idea what it was like for me to be thanked by my childhood heroes, when I wasn't even trying to do much of anything. The excitement would have quickly overwhelmed me, had I not been taught modesty.

I attempted to say it was nothing, to say "I got lucky," but the Bros. wouldn't have it. They again thanked me, and noted what trouble they would have had to go through if I had not stopped Bowser and rescued Peach from the Koopa Bros.' clutches. I once again tried to downplay it, but this seemed to upset Mario a little. Seeing this, I retracted my modesty for the sake of courtesy, and agreed, saying, "Yeah, I guess it was kinda cool."

Mario now seemed perplexed at just how I could be so selfless. Evidently, he decided to set that thought aside, and insisted I come with him. Luigi stayed behind to protect Peach, so it was just us two. Mario led me to an area of the castle basement. This area matched _Super Mario 64_'s rendition of the basement to a tee, which pleased me. What pleased me even more, though, was where he brought me next.

Behind a wall in a corner of the basement, sometimes thought to be too plain to contain anything, there exists an entrance to an entirely different location in the Mushroom World. The wall itself is the portal, and the basement is its humble prelude. Such a world is the classic desert, complete with sand dunes, dust storms, palm trees, and a small oasis – not to mention the pyramid in its center. This land is known simply as "Shifting Sand Land," the 8th course of _Super Mario 64_.

It was here where I truly uncovered what I'd eventually be capable of. Mario led me into the pyramid, where I challenged and managed to defeat the Eyeroks that live inside (the "Eyeroks" are hand-shaped, mystical, living rock beings that live inside the pyramid, in a tomb of sorts). The weak spot of their eyes certainly helped, yet the mere fact that they arose from their deep slumber when I entered the tomb is cause enough to get excited; even if I didn't beat them, they would still have understood my capabilities, or they would not have awoke in the first place.

Before I go on, I must point out why I challenged them. Mario said that, if I was deemed "worthy" by the Eyeroks, then the sheer dominance that that Smash Ball gave me over the Koopa Bros. was not a coincidence. It would mean that I was meant for much more than I gave myself credit for, and it would be cause for allowing me to come periodically to the Mushroom World, should it ever be in danger. Clearly, the Eyeroks acknowledged my unknown strength, even when I could not.

The day after I discovered the Mushroom World, I cautiously revealed it all to my parents. Not only was it the perfect time to show them something that I knew of before they did, but it also allowed me to do what I asked Mario that first day; I asked for him and Luigi to train me to do what they could do. I actually expected for him to say no, yet, to my surprise, he said yes. He had apparently expected me to ask that, but he was still going to mention it anyway if I didn't. Regardless, my parents still had the final say.

They didn't get a chance to answer, since Bowser showed his ugly face again. A repeat of the day before happened when another Smash Ball appeared. The Mario Bros. weren't hurt or anything, but they let me take over. This helped with convincing my parents of just how important I could be to the Mushroom World – and it sure didn't take long.

Bowser didn't bother even bringing the Koopa Bros. this time. Instead, he intended to face off against me alone, out in front of the castle. Thanks to the Smash Ball, it quickly became an easy victory, and Bowser fled once again.

After this all occurred, the Mario Bros. congratulated me once more. This time, I accepted the thanks, although it was more or less just me being polite. My parents didn't know what to think of the incident. They had just witnessed their quiet, keep-to-himself kind of son annihilate any chances of Bowser defeating him, and without so much as breaking a sweat.

My parents then responded in a way that I did not see coming – they agreed to the idea of Mario and Luigi training me. I did expect them to understand my hopes for this and to eventually come to accept it, yet I assumed it would take much longer than just a few minutes. They may not be strict, but they're not naive, either. This world was obviously dangerous, but as my own parents pointed out, so was our own.

The plan for my training had already been decided on by the Bros. Six days a week, four hours a day, I was to come to the Mushroom World and receive training from them. The actual training the Bros. did was essentially just the practice of me copying whatever they did – after I'd gotten into shape, of course.

I was astounded at how fast a learner I was. Within merely four months, I could hold my own against any one of the Koopa Bros., and against more than one of any of Bowser's more common minions (like a few Hammer Bros.). Bowser no longer even tried to send out his pathetic Goombas or Koopa Troopas anymore, as they didn't stand a chance.

By the end of these four months, my parents decided to homeschool me from then on. Considering what I could do, combined with the danger of me getting into a fight with the people at school who used to pick on me and my pessimistic self...it was a wise choice. In any case, I was more than happy to not go to public schools anymore, since this gave me plenty more time to hone my skills.

Training is not all I had time to do, though. When I wasn't training, I would venture out all over the Mushroom World and visit all the places I'd grown up knowing of. Bob-omb Battlefield, Dry Dry Desert, Isle Delfino, and Toad Town are among the more notable locations I'd been to. I even got a chance to visit Luigi's Mansion, although it may be the one place I'd never want to return to (ghosts are real – believe me).

Now, four months was simply not enough for me to reach the level at which I could really help protect the Mushroom World. For this reason, I continued the training all the way through the next three months. By this time, the Koopa Bros. were no cause for danger anymore – not even the four of them at once. Yet, even then, the Koopa Bros. weren't exactly the strongest enemies Bowser had to offer, and I still had a lot to learn.

During this time, Mario brought a famous character from the Zelda World to train me in a rather unique field of combat: sword fighting – but with a special kind of sword that did not kill its target(s); instead, the sword would merely damage whatever it hit, and would eventually knock it out. My trainer was Link, of course, and he did all he could to teach me to be as good as him with a sword. Surprisingly, it only took three weeks for him to teach me all he knew. It wasn't because Link didn't know much, but that I learned so quickly. Some prior sword experience from Mario did help, though. Still, the ability to defeat Bowser's simpler enemies with simple combat and sword-like objects was not enough – there was one more thing for me to learn.

The greatest fighting technique I needed to master was what the two Smash Balls had shown me – the ability to throw fire out of nothing. This ability only came after multiple uses of a Fire Flower throughout my training. As in _Super Mario Galaxy_, a Fire Flower only lasts for a short time of just a few minutes (or even longer, depending on the user). However, if a person has the capacity for it, they can retain the power to throw fire after using Fire Flowers enough. As seen in the _Super Smash Bros._ series, Mario and Luigi had obtained this skill, and I would eventually do the same.

At one point, eight months after my first use of a Fire Flower (which was only one month into the start of my original training), I became severely angry at Bowser for constantly getting in my way of training by doing various evil deeds. Out of the blue, my left hand lit up with a beautiful red flame, equipped with the essence of a sure-fire victory. While I couldn't quite cause the flame to grow to the size it did that first day I was in the Mushroom World, I was able to at least scare Bowser away with it – after firing multiple shots of fireballs. Once he left, though, I lost this ability, yet the Mario Bros. helped train me over the following two weeks to get it back.

An additional seven months had now passed since I mastered my fireball-throwing ability, and I found myself in quite the interesting situation. It was a sunny, rather hot mid-August day, and it had only been 16 months since I discovered the Mushroom World to be real. I was now 14 years old. While I was relaxing along the shore of Delfino Plaza, Mario came to me and revealed a shocking piece of information.

He told me I was invited to an annual event which was highly respected by all who endeavored in the field of combat. It is known as the "Smash Bros. Live Tournament," and only those who have appeared in a _Super Smash Bros._ game can participate; otherwise, they need an invitation from one of those characters. It is a great honor to be a part of this tournament, and very few can even hope to be victorious.

I was dumbfounded. Mario had only ever mentioned this event to me a few times, and I never even considered the possibility that I'd ever enter it, let alone stand a chance getting past the first round. But Mario had confidence in me, for one reason or another. Somehow he had the insane notion that I could enter, and he insisted I go for it.

I initially denied my ability to participate. Mario disagreed, but I couldn't figure out why. He told me that he taught me all he and Luigi could teach me, and that the next biggest step I could take to ensure the Mushroom World's safety was to enter the tournament.

After some time of thinking it over that day, I managed to agree to enter. While it was one of the toughest decisions I had to make so far, I was glad I made it. I guess it helped to have the full support of my parents...but then again, if they didn't want me to enter in the first place, I wouldn't even have had a choice.

The way that the Smash Bros. Live Tournament works is considerably similar to the average Smash Bros. game. Each fighter sustains damage in the form of percentages. The more damage you take, the higher your percentage goes, and the higher your percentage, the farther back you get thrown when you're attacked. Once a fighter is knocked off-screen of the Lakitu cameraman's camera, he/she loses a life. There remains one minor detail which has to be altered in order to make this method of fighting possible. Considering that such drastic changes in knockback occur with simply being damaged, there are many laws of physics that are being broken. This is where everyone's favorite inventor, Professor E. Gadd, comes in.

E. Gadd has a long history of inventing many bizarre yet effective inventions. Back in the mid-1990s, he invented something which he knew would revolutionize what people thought of the fighting genre of video games. He called it a "Smash Vest," and when a person puts it on, any damage they take is recorded in the vest with a percentage based on how powerful the hit was. The vest also utilizes gravitational fields to alter the user's weight, allowing for more "knockback" when the user has been hit enough. This invention inspired the original Super Smash Bros. in 1999, and additional installments in the series would come soon after.

During every Smash Bros. Live Tournament (SBL for short), these vests are used by every entrant. Due to obscuring the views of the live audiences from both the Smash Bros. stadium and the TV spectators, certain measures are taken to make the vests invisible. Using pieces of multiple Vanish Caps (an invisibility-granting power-up from _Super Mario 64_), the vests become completely un-seeable, and they don't get in the way of the fighters – not that they would, since E. Gadd made sure they were light and not bulky.

In the weeks leading up to the SBL tournament, I trained harder than I ever had before, but alone; I did not want anyone to see how nervous I was. The event was to take place exactly one month after Mario had invited me, and I still did not feel ready. I knew Mario had to have some sort of reason for his leap of faith in inviting me, but I had yet to truly believe he was correct. I still assumed I was no match for any of the competitors.

The SBL tournament itself was to take place over the course of a whole week. An entire week before it began, people and characters from all sorts of Nintendo worlds showed up, from the Mushroom World, to Kirby, Zelda, Pokémon, Metroid, Star Fox, and even less known worlds like Earthbound and F-Zero. It became increasingly evident just how widely known and important the SBL tournament was.

It was strange to see all these sorts of characters in the same place, especially since I only really recognized those which came from the Mushroom World, given how I was mainly a Mario-only kind of gamer. It was refreshing, though, to be introduced to things I did not know much about, and even I came to understand the significance of meeting the ever-popular Kirby, Samus, and Fox McCloud characters of the Nintendo Worlds. The fact that I was going to participate was cause for me to get excited, and I slowly began to lose my feelings of doubt and nervousness.

Two days before the actual tournament was to begin, I was informed of the rules of entry. The first 128 entrants to sign up were to take part in the competition. The semi-finalists, finalists, and champion of last year's tournament got extra privileges in deciding who could enter; semi-finalists could choose one individual which is guaranteed entry, the finalist who lost could pick two, and the champion could pick three.

The SBL tournament's matchup rounds would take place in a way not unlike most tournaments held on Earth. All matchups in the first round were to be decided randomly. After each battle in the first round was finished, there would be 64 contestants left. After the second round, there would be 32 left, then 16 after the next round, and so on, until the champion was decided. In all, there were a total of seven rounds.

Mario was last year's champion, and he chose me as one of his three. Of all people, he chose me. I knew I was certainly able to do some ridiculous things for someone my age, but the SBL tournament? "No, it's too much for me," is what I kept thinking. Even though my time spent in the Mushroom World allowed for me to almost entirely change from a pessimistic personality to a more aggressive one, I couldn't see myself being in front of all those thousands of Nintendo characters and still pull off a victory. The cheering crowd, roaring fans of veteran fighters, and announcers who were constantly brimming with excitement...it seemed to be out of my league. Even then, as a result of the Mario Bros.' and my own parents' encouragement, I went through with it.

I have no need to express anything regarding the actual combat I contributed and endured that week – not yet. However, I will at least say this: After defeating all four members of the Koopa Bros. one at a time within the first four rounds, King Dedede of the Kirby World in the next round, and Bowser Jr. in the semi-finals, I had made it to the finals, and I was to face Mario. After an intense and heated match of aerial punches, kicks, and flames being thrown in all directions, I managed to be the winner.

It was perhaps the biggest shock to me since I discovered the Mushroom World, yet I could not deny what it meant. It meant that I wasn't just an overly average kid who got lucky. It meant that, despite my low self-confidence, I actually _could_ make a difference in the Mushroom World and possibly even the Real World. But the main thing it meant was that I was no longer incapable of handling myself without assistance; I could do things my own way from then on.

Now, that being said, the joy and relief I felt in that moment of victory was able to continue for the majority of the next day. As was the tradition of the Smash Bros. Live tournament, the members of the staff of Peach's Castle held a victory party. They were so used to Mario being the champion (as he'd been champion since Smash Bros. Melee came out) that they already had a banner set up in the main lobby which read "Congratulations Mario!" Of course, they took it down before I got there and replaced it with one bearing my name, but I did find that funny when Luigi told me about it towards the beginning of the party.

There existed a problem with the party though, for me anyway. Even though I was more outgoing than I used to be, parties still weren't my style – especially not one so extravagant. The fact that it was done for me, the tournament's champion, didn't help matters much.

On the other hand, I still enjoyed what I could of it. It was an awesome party, after all, and it was unlike any Real World party I'd ever heard of. There was no dancing unless you wanted to dance (of which I was relieved – I couldn't dance if you paid me). It wasn't too flashy, either. It felt more like a family reunion than a birthday party, which was a good thing for me since I always liked reunions more than the partying part of even _my own_ birthday parties. I suppose that's because I didn't like it all being about me, but I digress. That's just how I was.

The favorite thing of mine at the celebration was easily the video game booths that were set up. Each was a multiplayer game, varying in difficulty and the Nintendo World in which its plot was based. Most of them were Mario-based, with Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Mario Parties 4, 5, and 6 being among the selection. Of course, _Super Smash Bros. 64_, _Melee_, and _Brawl_ were all available, which were naturally the most popular choices. This all helped me feel right at home, as video games had always been a specialty of mine.

Then, as would be expected at any great party, there was great food. Spaghetti, ravioli, and other Italian-style dishes were there, along with equally excellent desserts. Drinks were available, yet they typically did not originate from the Real World. Instead, the fighters brought a large amount of their world's more popular drinks.

There also was a delicious punch which was served. It had been a favorite of all the competitors since a few years before, since it combines the perfect mixture of tropical fruits – most of which come from Yoshi's Island – and some secret ingredients directly from the famous cook, Miss Tayce T., who resided in Toad Town. There's also a small amount of juice from a Super Mushroom in the punch, to give it that extra kick. And no, there was no alcohol involved in any of the food or drinks – alcohol is illegal in the Mushroom World, for a simple yet important reason. It isn't because of its intoxicating effects on people at all. Rather, it is because it is deadly to the Toad people of the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Drinking alcohol is to Toads like drinking Drano is to humans.

Amidst all the excitement, someone like myself can only take but so much. So, as would be expected, I needed to take a break. I took a cup of the famous "SBL punch" and headed out back to the castle's courtyard. This place is probably more well-known to fans of _Super Mario 64_, since it contained the 5th course of said game – Big Boo's Haunt. It also is where the infamous "L is Real" star-shaped statue sits, which is at the center of a fountain 15 feet in front of the entrance to the courtyard.

The courtyard was surprisingly completely vacant, presumably due to the ever-intensifying suspenseful mini-tourney of _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ players being held inside. I walked to the fountain, placed my cup on it, and had a seat. I gazed up at the clouds and laughed, having forgotten that some clouds in the Mushroom World literally have faces on them. I closed my eyes and took in the fresh, clean air. No place I'd ever been to in the Real World was ever this clean-smelling. No, not one.

The light from the Mushroom World's sun dimmed for a moment while my eyes were still closed, though I thought nothing of it. It was likely just a cloud blocking the light – nothing out of place there. I almost fell backward and into the fountain when I heard a deep, almost grunting voice, saying, "Enjoying the party?"

My eyes opened to reveal the source of the voice; it was Bowser, who stood directly between me and the castle door that led back inside. Standing on his right side was his loyal and equally wicked son, Bowser Jr. Figuring that the two were late to the party, I said to them, "Yeah. What took you two so long? The party's gonna be over in an hour or so."

Bowser smirked. "We didn't come for the party."

"Oh? Well then, why're you here?" I began to feel a sense of disapproval of their presence.

Jr. then spoke up and answered, "We came for _you_."

I couldn't help but laugh as I picked up my cup to drink some more punch. "You, you've gotta be...you're really going to attack me? When there's dozens of combat experts having their annual time of a lifetime in there? Yeah that's gonna work. Hehe, you've got to be kidding me!"

"Ahh yes, but," Bowser remarked, "they won't know what hit you – or that you were even hit."

"Oh really," I replied, trying not to lose it as I placed the cup back down. "And just what are you going to 'hit' me with?"

"This," Jr. said, and with that, he presented an object which was hidden behind him. It was the "Magic Paintbrush" from _Super Mario Sunshine_.

"Oh, so you like doodling, huh?" I said back to him. "Might I recommend a good job for you? You should try working for Google! I'm sure they'd love your 'creative' input."

"Clever, but that doesn't get you anywhere." Jr. then pointed the brush at me.

"Oh no!" I put my hands up in sarcastic defense. "Not the goopy sludge paint! Anything but that!"

"This thing," he said, seeming to pick up on my not-so-serious terrified response, "can do much more than pollute stuff ya know."

"Well, yeah, I know that. What I don't know is what you plan on doing with it. And I hope you plan on telling me soon without – you know, another one of your classic father-son monologues."

"'Fraid I can't help you there."

"You see," Bowser continued for his masked son, "You need to know exactly how it feels to be humiliated."

"Umm...what? I'm...not following."

"You defeated my son in the semi-finals, and now...he wants revenge, and I'm going to...no...I _am_ giving it to him."

"Oh, is that it? Awww, I'm sorry Junior," I said as I looked at him. "Do you want me to call a waaaambulence?"

Jr.'s face became disfigured at that remark. "That's it, kid," he said angrily. "No more stalling."

"Oooh, now it's finally getting somewhat close to being interesting. Whatchya gonna do? Picasso me to death?"

"Why you...no, it's more like a Stormy Night, for you anyw...GAH! Enough stupid stupid metaphors! I'm through with this!"

"Don't forget: what you just said was a simile – not a metaphor. If you're going to get angry at me, do it right."

"I...I don't care! Dad?" He turned to Bowser. "Can I go ahead with the plan?"

"Sure son. Whenever you want. He's annoying me, too."

Jr. then turned back to me. With his paintbrush still facing me, his eyes fixated on some point over my shoulder, and suddenly, the paintbrush's tip began glowing a rainbow of colors; it was almost hypnotizing. And then, in an instant, the brush fired a foot-long blob of multi-colored sludge-like paint, which flew over my right shoulder and hit the statue behind me. Head turned around, I watched as the star part of the statute glowed with psychedelic colors.

I turned back to face the two Koopas, and said to Jr., "Umm...I think you missed."

"Nope," he assured me, "I hit the mark dead-on."

"Well when you say it like that it almost sounds like you mean it."

"That's because," Bowser spoke up, "he does mean it."

"The thing is," Jr. continued, "I'm gonna send you to a place where you won't fit in at all, where you will get lost so fast your head will spin, and even _you_ won't be able to think up a sly, sarcastic, smart-aleck comeback."

"So," I responded, "what, is this place some kind of really small hedge maze? 'Cause you know, I could just burn it down."

"Don't take me so literally! Just...ugh, forget it, you're not worth it."

I was rather surprised he could handle my comments this long. It almost appeared as if Bowser Jr. had more patience than Bowser himself, but that couldn't be right. I then assumed that his apparent pre-meditation on the subject prepared him for what I might dish out. Everyone's got a breaking point, though, and it seemed pretty clear that I'd found Jr.'s.

He began waving his brush like a magic wand, yet in a familiar pattern. It was in the shape of an "M," which led me to realize that he really did intend to send me somewhere. I asked where he was planning to send me, but he merely replied with "You'll see."

I turned my head when I felt a soft wind blowing behind me. The wind itself wasn't really wind as I immediately found out – it was more of a vacuum. An M-shaped blobby rainbow of paint goop now floated above the similarly-colored statue, and it was somehow sucking me in, getting a stronger and stronger pull with each breath I took.

"Hey, Timothy," Jr. spoke as I turned back to him. "It's time," he snarled, "Time for you to suffer humiliation and confusion like I did."

The M greatly intensified its pull, and it instantly became nearly impossible to keep sitting on the fountain. Tried as I might, my grip on the stone fountain was not quite enough to deal with the M's grip on me. I was whisked off of the fountain and flew straight towards the M. I tried using a fireball to blow up the M, but it ended up getting sucked in as well.

I thrusted my arms out to grab the sides of the M while the rest of me dangled into the abyss inside it. I pushed and pushed against the outer sides of the M, but all that did was keep me suspended at the entrance to the portal.

Jr. laughed and cackled at the sight of me hanging on for dear life. He then said, with a seemingly joking tone, "It's a whole new world – with a brand new attitude."

"Gwahahaaa," Bowser exclaimed with his classic evil laugh. "Wrong region, but good one son!"

I didn't have the chance to inquire about just what Bowser meant by "wrong region" or why what Jr. said was so funny, since Jr. pointed his brush at me and fired another blob, only this time, it struck me straight in the stomach. It struck with such force that it was simply too much, and consequently, I let go.

I fell straight down after I was pushed through the portal, through a tube of such ridiculous colors that I became dizzy. I peered up at the entrance and could make out the faces of Bowser and Bowser Jr. staring down at me as I fell. They began laughing and would not stop, and their voices echoed throughout the cylindrical nightmare I'd been thrown into.

The last image I saw was that of the two cackling Koopas, and then, as a result of the hypnotic effects of the portal, I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 1 - A Whole New World

**Chapter 1: A Whole New World**

Blurred vision...that's all I had for the moment; it was my very existence. Nothing made any sense whatsoever. Greens, yellows, blues...the colors were there, yet my mind was off somewhere else.

It took a good ten seconds for the signals from my eyes to reach my brain and be processed correctly. Sluggishly, I managed to stand up even though I was legally blind. I looked around and soon regained enough consciousness to be able to see clearly.

I saw a pathway – which I was standing on – and noticed that it appeared endless in both directions. Along either side of the path was a line of lush trees and bushes; a rural area if I ever saw one. The sky was perfectly blue – not a cloud in sight. It was impossible to know where I was, but I did remember how I got there.

What a plan Jr. had, sending me into some sort of park. The road was clearly man-made, though the foliage was natural – too natural, if that makes any sense. I started to wonder exactly how I couldn't "fit in" to this place. It was a yellow dirt line in the middle of an all-natural forest – not a death trap or torture chamber or an adult convention. Just a simple, everyday park-like area which anyone could go to and enjoy nature.

There was one thing which did stand out: I was alone. A beautifully peaceful place like this with no one in sight to appreciate it? Either the place Jr. sent me to was sparsely populated or it was a protected wildlife reserve, since otherwise, I knew people would just adore the scenery. No forest goes unexplored when it is this appealing – that's how nature-lovers would see it, anyway.

Just when I thought I'd have a lonesome walk to wherever the nearest town was, the bushes to the left side of the path rustled. Observing the bushes was my only real option, given that I had nothing else better to do. After careful examination of the pattern in which the bushes moved, I could easily see that there were at least two creatures in the bushes and not just one.

I assumed they were just some squirrels or other wild animals, or perhaps even Mushroom World creatures. I knew all too well that I could handle creatures from both the Real World and the Mushroom World. Naturally, I wasn't the least bit nervous. I calmly called to whatever the creatures were and stated that I meant them no harm. That statement seemed to go completely unnoticed or possibly just simply ignored, as I soon discovered.

Two beings – the likes of which I had never seen – darted out. They were now two feet from the bushes and five feet from me. Their appearance absolutely astounded me. They both resembled that of a fox, cat, and a little dog all mixed into one.

The one on the left was of a deep black color, with one golden circle on each of its sleek legs and on its head, and a golden stripe around its black tail and ears. Its tail resembled the shape of the brush part of Bowser Jr.'s paintbrush, while its ears were a foot long and slim, longer and slimmer than any ears I'd ever witnessed. Its eyes boasted a crimson-like quality to them, complete with black pupils.

The other creature was a pink color, rather pale and not as defined. It had no markings on it, though I did see a ruby-colored gem on its forehead. It also owned a bizarre tail. Its tail actually split into two tails toward the tip of it, and the two tails were so wispy it was almost as if they were doing the wave. But those eyes...those soul-piercing eyes...such a combination of a lavender background and solid white pupils was utterly terrifying.

I sensed a feeling of anger in them, yet the anger was so human-like that I was captivated. Never before had I encountered creatures with so much human quality to their emotions as this. Still, as with people, if they're angry at you and you don't know why, it is usually best to approach them calmly.

"Hey now," I spoke to them, "I don't mean you any harm. I'm just as confused as you are – probably even more." As I was speaking to the creatures, I saw for the first time what could have been the reason for their contempt toward me: the pink one had a burn mark on its back. I then remembered a condemning memory – the fireball I threw earlier. I threw it to attempt to blow up the "M" portal Bowser Jr. had created, but it got sucked in, with me soon to follow.

Now I knew what happened. The fireball hit the pink creature and I showed up shortly afterward. They probably hid in the bushes when I arrived to see if I was a threat, and I suppose they got their answer when I awoke.

Before I got the chance to alert the creatures to my honest wish for the avoidance of a fight, the black one took on a certain pose. This pose resembled that of a guard dog ready to strike an intruder, and I knew I'd be in for a rough time. I readied myself for whatever awaited me, though I could not have possibly been prepared for the likes of this encounter.

The mouth of the black creature opened, and a sphere of dark purple shadowy...stuff formed; that is how I would have described it, anyhow. It's all I knew that stuff – whatever it was – to be, just a ball of some deep dark violet shadowy substance. There also existed inside the sphere some sort of purple-colored electricity-like energy, though I came to find out that it wasn't electricity at all. Whatever the ball was made of, I knew it didn't exactly look friendly.

The attack formed just outside of the animal's mouth – not from inside its mouth like I would have expected. As the spherical attack was forming, the dark creature started grunting, and it even seemed to be speaking. What it said was unintelligible, though it did sound somewhat like the word "umbrella," which of course made zero sense. I attempted to apologize to the two, though neither of them would hear it. The "umbrella" creature's attack seemed to be finished forming, and so it fired.

In a response purely made of reflexes and my prior training, I managed to dodge the sphere of shadows. I turned and watched as the sphere flew and hit a tree behind me, hitting it so hard as to cause an explosion and create a dent in the tree. I turned back to look at the two apparently powerful creatures. These beings were not to be messed with – of that I was certain.

The pink one growled and said something as well. It resembled the letters "s" and "p" being said back-to-back, leading me to believe what it said to be someone's initials. The initials could have possibly been the initials of, say, the two creatures' master, though even then, saying the name of their master really wouldn't do much of anything.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the pink one's eyes glowed a bright light-blue, and the same color outlined itself around me. I found myself unable to move at this point. Whatever that mystical blue power was, it stopped me cold.

I was still able to speak, however, and I told the pink one to stop, that I didn't mean to hurt it, and that if it let me go, I'd be gone before it said another word. Once I spoke, it moved into the same guard dog position which the black one had been in. The aura of blue around me began to hurt. My entire body felt the pain, as if my life force itself was at risk.

I had few options available to choose from. I knew talking wasn't getting me anywhere. I couldn't move, so my combat skills were completely useless. No one was around, so yelling for help would produce nothing. The only option I had left at my disposal was that of my fire abilities, so I started up a fireball.

The blazing red-hot flame engulfed my left hand as it always did, and as always, it didn't hurt. The fireball itself formed outside of the blue energy around me, and whether this was due to it being a surprise or because the pink being was unable to trap it in was unclear. One look at the inferno that was my hand sent fear into both of my evident enemies, yet the fear brought with it the revealing of the black creature's protective side.

I fired the flame with little difficulty at the pink creature, and the black one jumped between us. Its eyes glowed the same shade of blue as the other one's eyes, though instead of attacking me, it created a light-blue shield around itself and its ally. The shield easily blocked the fireball which pathetically dwindled on impact.

I found myself in a rather precarious and humiliating situation. I could do nothing to these strange beings, while they barely ever moved. To make matters worse, the dark one's protective shield went away, followed by a new attack which revealed itself to be forming. Coming from inside its mouth instead of outside, the black being had initiated an attack which started out as another spherical endeavor, yet it did not end as such. Its color was not purple, but was yellow, with horizontal waves of orange periodically rushing along its circumference.

With the blue field of light still rendering me motionless, the attack launched. A massive beam of pure, unrelenting energy struck me, accompanied by a loud echoing blast of sound waves. It was so wide that it hit both my stomach and chest simultaneously, and was so powerful that it broke the bond which the pink one had on me, thereby eliminating the blue glow in its eyes. The beam then sent me straight into the tree which was dented earlier.

Before this event took place, I had experienced my fair share of pummeling, yet this time was different. Words cannot describe my reaction to this new form of an attack. There was nothing I'd ever encountered quite like it.

Still, the resistance to surprise meetings such as this which I had built up during my past training kept me going. I stood right back up after the beam finished firing, an action which seemed to frighten the two. I suppose they weren't expecting survival out of me, as if they'd either under-estimated my human self or over-estimated the darker member of their two-member group.

Without hesitation, I launched another fireball. This time, the dark one was not able to protect itself and its friend with the force field from before. It appeared to me as though the beam it fired was so powerful that it required some time for the creature to build its energy back up enough in order for it to do anything again. The flame darted straight for the black being as I intended. It exploded on impact and certainly did its job of warning my two oppressors of what they were dealing with.

Smoke cleared to reveal the two still standing. The dark one seemed affected but not incapacitated by the fiery response. Seeing the anger still in both of the beings' eyes, I immediately dashed to them to attack more up-close, as that is where my combat skills were best at. Unfortunately, this action was in vain.

The "S.P." animal started up its motion-stopping attack, and so I was once again shut down, coincidentally the same distance from the two that I was when they first appeared. The sleek, black being commenced the same beam of energy again; its yellow-orange spherical shape stayed in place longer than before, as if taunting me. I used another fireball in a desperate attempt at survival, though the pink one used its extraordinary blue attack to surround the flame and then throw it back at that same dented tree. I knew, as impossible as it sounded at the time, that if this beam hit with as much force as before, I might not stay conscious long enough to retaliate. I prayed for a miracle – and got one.

An instantaneous flash of golden-yellow electricity stormed in from my right. It struck the two creatures with such power and thunderous presence that I felt the air momentarily shift its charge to be negative. The hairs on my neck stood up, as if the electricity was an actual bolt of lightning. The S.P. being's hold on me again subsided, and so I turned to face my rescuers.

Running up to me were three people who did not appear much older than me. Running in front of them was a creature which I recognized right away and without difficulty. It was a large yellow mouse with red cheeks, black-tipped ears, brown markings on its back, and a lightning bolt-shaped tail. It was world-renowned in the Real World and all of the Nintendo Worlds as a lovable yet powerful electricity-using creature, known as a Pokémon named Pikachu. The mystery as to where I ended up was now solved: I was sent to the Pokémon World.

The three people all asked if I was okay. I didn't give an answer. To put it jokingly, I was too "shocked" to respond at first, but in all seriousness, it was more than that. I had just been saved by a Nintendo World creature which I never had much interest in. The Pokémon World itself never seemed very appealing to me, though it certainly sparked my interest now that I was both successfully threatened and rescued by it.

The three asked again, with one in particular seeming extra concerned. I turned back to the enemies I'd accidentally made and saw them in the process of retreating back into the bushes from whence they came. Seeing the situation was now safe, I turned back to the three and assured them of my well-being. They walked a little closer and were now less than 10 feet from me. It was at this juncture which I truly saw what...unique...people I'd encountered.

From my point of view, the one who was most concerned about my well-being was the one on the left. He was seemingly around 14 or 15 years of age, though I had a feeling he was a bit older. He wore a mostly red baseball cap with what I later found out to be a blue Pokéball symbol inside of a white background on the front, and his solid black hair spiked horizontally outward from under his hat. His eyes were brown, though his eyes as a whole resembled that of the usual Japanese anime style of eyes. Under both of his eyes were two black, z-shaped markings which I later assumed to be birthmarks, if that's even possible.

He wore a jacket which was blue at the top with short sleeves, but shifted to white at around chest level. His jacket had a yellow zipper, and two black circular markings which curved toward his neck in the blue area, with the lower ring separating the blue from the white. His pants were black jeans, and he wore red shoes with black padding over top of where the toes would be. He also wore gloves. They were red at his wrist, and the rest was black, yet they were fingerless, a style which I didn't remember ever being in style – save for members of a biker gang.

In the middle of the group stood a guy who appeared older than the leftward person. The first thing I noticed was his hair; his hair was bright green in color, almost of the lime-green sort. His hair was dully-spiked in the front, yet normal in both shape and length in the back. He wore a black tuxedo with two yellow buttons, a forest green bow tie, long white sleeves, black pants, and brown shoes. His eyes, like his hair, were green, and unlike the previously-described individual, they weren't shaped like in Japanese anime, but were closer to the shape of Real World people's eyes, such as my own.

Finally, the person on the right was a girl of around the same age as the first. Unlike the other two, who were, like myself, Caucasian, she was medium-dark-skinned. Her hair was easily the craziest style and color of hair which I'd ever seen. It was purple, with enough hair kept in place with her yellow hair barrettes to give Rapunzel a run for her money. Two barrettes above her head caused a good amount of the folicles to shoot diagonally up and to both the left and right, while the rest of her hair went down her back in a sort of pear-like shape. Her bizarre hair ended with another barrette (or perhaps a scrunchie) which bundled the pear-shaped hair and sent it into a smaller yet similarly-shaped amount.

The girl's eyes were brown like the first person, and like the first one, her eyes were anime-styled. She wore a cream-colored shirt with long loose sleeves tipped with pink. A short pink skirt which mostly surrounded her right side followed her shirt, with a large, equally pink bow tied to the left side of her waist. She had on white Capris ending in, on both legs, a band of yellow, and wore pink shoes which were white underneath and had a yellow strap to tighten them.

I didn't know whether to be confused about the three's extravagant outfits or to feel left out, considering my closet of painfully plain clothing back home. Still, the girl's hair struck me as rather laughable, making it hard to sustain my then-serious and shocked posture. I then remembered the fact that the three saved me and used this to hide my humor-struck self.

My first real response to them was my statement of thanks. They all shrugged it off as if it were nothing – something which I probably would have done. They then introduced themselves in such a succinct way that it seemed rehearsed, like they'd done it a hundred times already. The black-haired one was named "Ash," the green-haired one was "Cilan" (pronounced "sigh-lynn"), and the purple-haired one was appropriately named "Iris." It became apparent that their appearance was not the only unique quality they had – their names were out there, with only the girl's name being remotely normal.

Shortly after Iris introduced herself, an odd green creature popped out of her hair. It was about the height of Pikachu, and most of its body was a slightly dark green. The back of its rather large head was forest green, with a shark-like fin of the same color on top. Its eyes were red with a white background, and they were surrounded by the same forest green color as the fin. It had two short arms with three pointed fingers each, and I later discovered it had two short legs with two toes each, along with a small pointed tail.

This sudden popping out startled me, and in my reaction, I said, "Wha...what is...what in the heck is that?"

"Oh," Iris answered. "This is Axew," and she smiled, acting friendly.

"Wait," I said. "Axe...you?" Then I remembered where I seemed to be. "Oh, that must be a...Pokémon, right?"

She smiled even more, though not for the same reason. "Well, yeah. What did you think it was?"

"Well I...umm...you see..."

Cilan spoke up, "You seem rather confused. Are you, lost, maybe?"

"Uhh, ye...yeah, I...am, I think."

"Well," Ash spoke. "Are you?"

"I...yes, I..." I think perhaps that beam of energy was stronger than I originally thought, since I spoke my mind about something which I normally wouldn't. "Is your name really 'Ash?'"

"Well, yeah. Ash Ketchum."

"That name..." I thought aloud and looked down and to the left, placing my left index finger between my nose and lip, and my thumb under my chin. "That...name. I've heard that before..." I thought some more for a moment and then remembered and removed my hand from my face. "Wait, you're...you're Ash Ketchum from...Pal...uhh, Pallet...Town, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

There was a time – before the SBL Tournament but after I'd mastered the fire-throwing ability – when I tried one of the Pokémon video games but couldn't see any appeal in them, and so I tried out the T.V. show known as the Pokémon Anime. Even _that_ didn't even slightly intrigue me, and I now decided to keep it to myself. "Never mind that. Umm..." I paused. "Could you all tell me exactly where we are?"

"Why," Cilan answered, "just north of Nuvema Town."

Now I realized Bowser Jr. at least tried to send me to some place less known. He knew I'd recognize a city like Saffron City (thanks to Smash Bros.), though Nuvema Town wouldn't seem the least bit familiar to a non-Pokémon fan. "And...where is that?"

"It's in south-eastern Unova."

Now I was really lost. Even I knew what "region" Saffron City was from, which happened to have the same name as a region in Japan – Kanto. But Unova? That region – if it even was a region – was new to me. "So this...Unova place. That's a Pokémon World...'region,' right?"

They all found it difficult not to laugh at this, though two of them managed to restrain themselves. Iris, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh and say, "You don't know you're in Unova!? What a kid."

Since they saved me, I let that "kid" remark slide. "No, I don't. It's...complicated."

"You're not from around here, are you?" Cilan asked.

"No, I'm not." I felt my strength returning.

Iris was still giggling at my naive self, and so Cilan told her, "Come on Iris. Something might have happened to him."

"Tch, that's the understatement of the day," I said with a half-humored tone.

"What happened?" Ash asked with curious concern.

"It's a rather long story, Ash."

"Well, then..." Iris spoke, attempting to be serious. "Where are you from?"

That question is one of the most fun questions to answer in the Nintendo Worlds – fun because of their residents' reactions. I usually try to be subtle and gradual in my answer, but due to Iris's tickled response, I figured I'd return the favor, and so I succinctly said, "The Real World."

All three simultaneously repeated what I just said, though they shouted it in disbelief. "THE REAL WORLD!?"

"Yep."

"Oh dear," Cilan said. "You're not supposed...to know about all this..."

The other two and Cilan started acting rather irrational and nervous, since what Cilan said was true – to them anyway. I then assured them, "Hey, woah, take it easy," and put my hands up to show there was no harm done. "I've known about the Nintendo Worlds being real for almost a year and a half. It's all good."

They breathed a sigh of relief. Iris then noticed my matted-up-in-the-front blue T-shirt, and asked, "Wait...did you get hurt by those Pokémon earlier?"

Everything made sense now; those "creatures" that attacked me were Pokémon. I suppose I was still too dazed to think about the creatures long enough to see the connection (it should have been rather obvious after meeting someone with a Pikachu). Seeing Iris's concern and how the other two now looked concerned as well, I assured her that I'd be fine, and that I'd had worse.

After hearing this, Cilan flinched and gasped in random shock. He rushed over to me and asked for my forgiveness; forgiveness for exactly what was unclear. I asked what he meant, and he responded with an explanation:

"I...I can't believe I didn't recognize you before! I've lost my touch, for sure! You...You're Timothy Stevens, correct?"

"Umm...yeah...what's the big deal?"

"Big deal!? You're _the_ Timothy Stevens!"

I thought for a second to attempt to figure out what this guy's problem was, and then it hit me. "Wait, are you talking about the SBL Tournament?"

"Yes, of course! You battled so magnificently through the whole thing; it was unreal how a newcomer could win with such ease!"

"Cilan," I began. "Look. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't that amazing either."

"What...do you mean?"

"I mean that my so-called 'skill' in all those battles only came from training from people who were better than me, by far."

"But...still, you defeated impossible opponents!"

"True, but one of them was one of my trainers. And I don't see it as an incredible victory or anything, it's just..."

"A product of what you were trained to do. You still worked hard for it and you got it done, and done well. They really didn't stand much of a chance."

"Maybe. I...look, Cilan, I...just please drop it. I don't see it like most people do." Memories of past events – one in particular – flooded into me. The pain of past regret started eating away at me, and as usual, I had no option but to try and ignore it. Thankfully, Cilan agreed to let it go for now, so it'd be possible to easily change the subject if needed.

Ash and Iris didn't understand a word of what Cilan and I had discussed. When Ash asked what we were talking about, Cilan wanted to get angry but instead turned to Ash and told him calmly.

"Well Ash, do you remember this past week when you and Iris and I were staying in Nuvema Town? And you two chose to train your Pokémon most of the time instead of relaxing?"

"Yeah, of course I remember."

"Me too," Iris said.

"Well," Cilan continued, "While you were out training, I was in the Pokémon Center watching what you two missed out on – the Smash Bros. Live Tournament. Timothy here was in that tournament, and despite being a 'rookie,' he won it."

"Wait," Iris said, surprised. "YOU were the one who won? That can't be right. I've seen that event before on T.V.; you're too young!"

"Well it's not like there's an age limit," I told her. "And besides, Iris, you're not much older than me from what I can tell."

"Well, I don't...I just can't see it...happening, you know?"

"Yeah I understand. It's not easy to explain how I do what I do, anyway. I just do it." The subject needed to be changed. "Umm, listen, all of you. I'm obviously not from around here, and I'm sure everyone back in the MK is wondering where I am, so..."

"The MK?" Ash repeated, being confused.

"It stands for 'Mushroom Kingdom,' just like 'MW' stands for 'Mushroom World,'" I answered, then continued my thought. "So I was wondering...could you all take me to Nuvema Town? I know pretty much nothing about this place, or this world, for that matter."

"Sure, we'd be glad to," Ash assured me. Both Cilan and Iris swiftly agreed to this.

I began to get the sense that these three people were friendly, perhaps a bit too much, but still. Being from Earth, I never trust anyone this friendly – for various obvious reasons. But these three were different: the exception to the rule of not trusting strangers, the lost practice of selflessness, the ever-impossible philosophy of aiding strangers no matter the cost or means. They were unique, for a different reason than I previously thought. They had good intentions and motives, of that I was sure.

I thanked them for their acceptance of my request. Cilan gestured for the other two and Pikachu to turn around, as the direction to the town was opposite of where they were headed before. "Wait," I said, noticing their motion. "Oh, right, you're coming _from_ Nuvema Town. I...oh, never mind, then, you three keep going your way, I'm sure it's a straight path from here anyway."

"Nonsense," Cilan responded. "We don't mind. Really, we don't."

"Well, okay, but...I owe you all one."

"Nah, you don't owe us anything," Ash said.

"Yeah, it's not like we have some place to be," Iris agreed.

"Well...I..." Then I remembered what my parents used to teach me: _If you meet people who seem to feel the need to help you, accept their offer. There's very few people like that anymore._ I nodded in response to this memory, and said to the others, "Yeah, okay. Thanks, that'd be a big help."

This event, in and of itself, wasn't normal for me. It had been months since I couldn't handle myself against enemies – whether they were old or new – and it had been just as long since I needed assistance from anyone – let alone complete strangers. In short, it was a truly humbling experience.

Cilan motioned for the other two to turn around again, and I soon joined them. My position was between Cilan and Iris; Ash stayed on the far left.

We began walking. No words were exchanged – not at first, anyway. It didn't take long until words were exchanged, though. After all, the number of questions a Nintendo World resident could have for a Real-Worlder is practically innumerable, and these three didn't strike me as the type to let those questions go unanswered.

The first to be unable to contain his curiosities was Cilan. In every instance when these sorts of situations come up, it seems as though the first question never changes. "What's it like, living in the Real World?" was Cilan's obligatory start.

My common answer to this had become varied after all of the repeated mini-interviews which commenced the same way. It is ironic, given the likelihood for me to have it down-packed by now. There is a simple reason to the variations: it gets old real quick. Adjustments need to be made with the answers I give in order to maintain the humor in the reactions to my responses.

This time, the answer was more honest than it had ever been. "I'm not all that sure how to describe it. I guess maybe it's whatever life would be like without the knowledge of the Nintendo Worlds, and, well, their existence. A life that I don't care to think about anymore."

It's no secret how much more enjoyable the N-worlds were than my own world, a reason as to why I don't reminisce that life. Such a thought was easily understood by the three, and in hearing my answer, Cilan remained silent.

We continued for a good half an hour and nothing ever really came up in conversation form. Occasionally, there would be a discussion over what I'd do for fun in my world, where I'd been in it, who I'd met, and so on. Cilan did seem extra interested in what I'd done in the Mushroom World, a topic which naturally produced the most fruit. It wasn't until this half-hour ended that Ash asked what Pokémon I'd met, and it wasn't until I gave my answer that I glimpsed the three's potent passion for Pokémon.

I told them the simple truth. "I've never personally met any Pokémon until today."

They gasped, all of them – and rightfully so. They lived in a world where Pokémon is in everything. Mario once told me that no Nintendo World markets its own merchandise moreso than the Pokémon World. Their gasping reminded me of this, and I momentarily admired their world's level of capitalism.

The thought crossed my mind to ask what Pokémon attacked me in the first place, but I didn't. The reality of my lack of knowledge of Pokémon kept me from doing so. It's not like knowing what they were called would help me out in the first place.

Ash paraphrased in disbelief what I'd said. "You've never met any Pokémon?"

Cilan gave reasoning as to why that would be so. "Well, Ash, come to think of it, he's not from here, and he doesn't seem to have ever been here." Cilan turned to me. "Isn't that right?"

"That's right. I've never been to this world before."

"Well," Iris inquired, "Why'd you come here?"

"Heh," I answered, being reminded of the reason, "I didn't really come here on purpose."

"Well, how did you get here?" Ash asked.

"It's kind of a long–" I cut off my sentence in light of what I saw. The line of trees along the roadway ended, leaving a vast open area ahead. A small town sat cozily inside the clearing. There were five buildings, three of which were regular two-story houses with blue roofs, one was a large orange-roofed building with multiple windows and a high-tech communications tower to its side, and one building of two stories had a scarlet-red roof with a giant letter "P" which hung in place over the front glass doors; this was the first building one would encounter in this town, and the dirt pathway we walked on led straight to it.

Cilan welcomed the little village with his right arm extending forward and his palm facing upward. He faced me and addressed the name of the town with an insightful tone: "This is Nuvema Town."


	3. Chapter 2 - Centers of Interest

**Chapter 2: Centers of Interest**

"Wow," I spoke in awe. "When you said 'town,' I didn't expect it to be so...so...small." In all my travels in the Real World and the Mushroom World, the only place resembling Nuvema Town's quaint, subtle environment was Goomba Village.

The red-roofed building nearest to us appeared familiar to me. I recalled Luigi showing me a structure similar to it, a structure which was apparently mass-produced. He mentioned a certain importance which these buildings possessed, something which wouldn't just be useful to Pokémon Trainers but to other people as well. I couldn't help but feel its importance might benefit me, so I consulted the closest thing I had to Pokémon experts.

"That building with the red roof," I began. "What is it for?"

"It's a place where you can get your Pokémon healed," Iris answered.

Cilan gave it a name. "It's called a 'Pokémon Center,' and there are many just like it."

"So it's like a hospital?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Iris said. "But for Pokémon."

"Is there anything else that these 'Pokémon Centers' are used for?" I asked, hoping to find the answer I searched for.

"Well..." Ash said, thinking of the Center's features. "There's food, T.V., and..."

"They give you a place to stay," Iris continued.

"For how much?" I asked, stopping the flow of responses.

"What...do you mean?" Iris looked puzzled.

"Well...you know, how much does staying the night cost?"

"Nothing – it's free."

My eyes just about jumped right out of their sockets. I shook my head to be certain I was still awake. "What do you mean _free_? Who pays for it?"

"I'm not really sure. Cilan?" She leaned behind me to talk directly to him. "Do you know who pays for it?"

"I...think the government does."

This surprised me more than it should have. "Figures," I said with a half-amused, half-"should have seen that coming" tone. I asked what else Pokémon Centers offered, yet no answer was given. I then decided what must be done next: if I couldn't obtain the information I needed from these three, why not go directly to the source?

"If you don't mind," I stated, "I'd like to see it for myself." I also told them I could probably handle things from here and that they should be on their way, yet they denied it. In hind sight it was good of them to do this, but back then, I regretted their decision to stay. I wished that they wouldn't let my little mishap get in the way of their trip, yet I knew they weren't going to change their minds.

We walked and soon reached the front doors. Both glass doors slid into their respective walls. The doors were clearly automatic. When we walked inside, the Pokémon Center theme from _Pokémon: Black and White_ versions could be heard.

The main inside area of the Pokémon Center appeared much like the lobby of a nice Real World hotel. Directly ahead sat a hemispherical, wrap-around counter, which was white at the bottom, red at the top, and dark gray in the middle. Behind the counter and along the wall, a red door with the Nintendo logo was present. The logo cleverly blended into the door due to its likewise color. To our right and ten feet from the entrance were cushioned couches and chairs for tired traveling trainers. To the left in the same distance away were a few tables for eating meals. The far right of the Center contained booths with tables for more comfortable dining, and the far left held free brochures for tourists.

Behind the counter stood a kind young woman no older than 30. Her hair was a dark pink, and split at the top of her forehead with half going left and half going the opposite. It was fastened in the back in such a way as to create two strange foot-long loops, one on either side of her. From a distance, a person might assume said loops to be earrings, given their position. Her eyes were shaped akin to Ash and Iris's, yet were blue.

Her outfit resembled the usual Real World nurse's outfit – in its shape, anyway. A turtle-necked, pink, somewhat wide knee-length dress was the main getup. Its sleeves were rolled up to elbow-length and ended in a deeper dark pink than her hair. I later found out that she wore a white apron tied at her mid-section which formed a bow shape behind her, and she wore light pink dress shoes bearing an equally-colored strap. A nurse hat completed the ensemble and bore a blue "Red Cross"-shaped cross on its front.

She spoke with a gentle, friendly tone once she noticed the visitors. To me, she said, "Welcome, how may I–", but to Ash and company, she said, "Oh, you're back?"

Ash nodded, said "Mmm-hmm," and went further in. The woman who apparently played a nurse-like role asked for my name. I gave her my first name and she responded with what to call her: Nurse Joy.

Iris informed me of Nurse Joy's role. She was in fact a nurse; a Pokémon Nurse, but still a nurse. I always knew some Real World culture made its way into the Nintendo Worlds, though Joy's appearance openly shouted "nurse" so fluently that it surprised me. I suppose nurses will be nurses wherever you go.

Nurse Joy then asked if I had any Pokémon to be looked at. I replied with "No, I'm not a trainer," and she nodded. She now looked confused and asked the other three why they had returned.

"Well, see Timothy isn't from around here," Iris answered.

"And..." Cilan said, "I would assume he needs a place to stay until he can return home."

I never said I needed anywhere to stay, though he was probably right, so I didn't say anything in return.

"Well if it's a room you need," Joy stated, "there are two four-person rooms in the back. I just cleaned them so you are welcome to choose whichever one you like."

I thanked her for the offer but couldn't help but ask what the Pokémon Center itself offered. She repeated back the same features the others did: T.V., food, free rooms, and of course, Pokémon recuperation. My next question landed me exactly what I'd desired. "Do you, by chance, know how I can get back to the Mushroom World?"

"Oh, umm...well, I'm terribly sorry. I'm afraid the teleporter hasn't been installed here yet. It's Pokémon Center policy to wait three months after the Center is opened to the public before the teleporter is put in."

Yes, of course. _That_ was what I'd been racking my brain to remember. Professor E. Gadd's "Pixelator" device was placed in every Pokémon Center in the Pokémon World. It transports people and objects to and from any desired Nintendo World in numerous cube-shaped particles, using a vast inter-connected series of what he referred to as "Pixelways." These "Pixelways" are really just natural radio waves which flow throughout the universe in a particular pattern that the Pixelator locks on to – a sort of electronic highway.

E. Gadd invented it shortly after the event which inspired the game _Luigi's Mansion_, an event which actually took place in early 1996 (why else would Peach's Castle's Courtyard have Boos in it in _Super Mario 64_?). According to Luigi, it quickly became standard practice for a Pokémon Center to house this teleporter instead of the original teleporters, since the process was faster and the coordinates were easier to set. It would not be until roughly two years after my trip to the Pokémon World that this highly useful invention of E. Gadd's would be represented in video game form.

The realization was bittersweet – Nurse Joy just said she didn't have a teleporter _yet_. This of course meant one of two things: either I must wait until one was installed, or travel to the nearest town with a Pokémon Center and use its Pixelator.

Having few options, I asked Nurse Joy when she'd be getting one. She told me it'd be three weeks, and I then asked how long it'd take to get to the next town. In order to answer this, Joy needed to view a map of the Unova region on her computer, which sat on a desk in a corner behind the counter and to her left. She apologized for not knowing, saying she just transferred from a different region recently, and that she'd only been in Nuvema Town for a few weeks. She also claimed she had a poor sense of direction.

I assured her it was no problem. Right after she thanked me for my patience, Cilan spoke up. "It's only a day's walk from here."

"Really?" I was surprised he knew.

"Right! I remember now!" Nurse Joy exclaimed, happy to be reminded. "It's a town called 'Accumula Town.' The Pokémon Center there has been there a while, and it has a teleporter – I'm sure of it!"

"Okay, good," I said. "That's good news." I then wondered what time it was. If it was not too late in the day, I could potentially get to Accumula Town before nightfall. Mario once informed me of the fact that the Pokémon World rotated coincidentally at the same speed as Earth, and that its size and density were the same as well. With my speed and endurance, I knew a day's trip for me would be more of around 7 hours instead of 9.

I asked Nurse Joy for the time. She told me it was 4:48 – P.M., of course. This easily rid me of any hope of returning within the same day from which I arrived. The unfortunate reality now presented an unfortunate truth: I needed to spend the night, without any sign of access to communication devices which were suitable for contacting the members of Peach's Castle. Someone back in the Mushroom World needed to know I was safe, after all.

I thought for a moment to assess the situation. A walk to Accumula Town that day would involve staying the night out in the woods. That would likely not go well if any more wild Pokémon attacked, which could perhaps get me lost in the process. Staying the night at this Pokémon Center and leaving the next morning would make for a safer plan, though I had a feeling it would entice the other three to stay as well. My next thought was just as troubling: no matter how I planned to get to Accumula Town, the others would probably want to accompany me anyway. The first plan would risk them getting injured on my behalf, while the second would make them waste an entire night at the Center.

I decided to go with the safer plan and asked Nurse Joy about spending the night. She renewed her offer for me to pick a room. I accepted it with gratitude.

As I expected, the three soon proposed the idea of them staying the night. Instead of arguing, I went with it. A part of me felt their presence to be somewhat useful, since they seemed to know how to handle Pokémon attacks, though the other part...I did not necessarily mind them helping, but their charity only met with me because of my own problem. They said they didn't have anything else to do, but I knew better. There's no possible way that these people – only a year or so older than me – would be on a day-long trip to the next town without a reason.

Nurse Joy opened a side-door, which had been installed into the counter, and walked toward our right. She then walked through two red doors, doors which never shut but swing back and forth after being used until they eventually lose momentum and stop moving. Joy told us to follow as she walked through the hallway, which was adjacent to the counter.

30 feet stood between the red doors and the doors to either of the rooms. An open area existed to the left of these doors. In the leftward area, along the same wall as the bedroom doors, a large glass wall was present; it was a window into an operating room for Pokémon. Three tables were in there, each designed for aiding nearly any Pokémon in nearly every way, from simple first aid to life-saving treatments. Machines similar to those which supply pure oxygen to humans sat in the back, later described by Cilan to be capable of making a Pokémon of any element comfortable.

Nurse Joy unlocked each room's door. Ash, Cilan, and Iris let me pick the room we'd be staying in. I looked around in the rightward one.

Four blue-sheeted double-sized beds – two along the left wall and two along the right – occupied a fair amount of the space. Each sat perpendicular to its wall and five feet from its parallel opposite. The back-left corner contained a red desk topped with a nice thin-monitored computer, while the back-right corner held a white desk with drawers and a large rectangular mirror on top. Between the desks, a gray door remained open, with the room therein being the bathroom.

I'm not sure why Nurse Joy let us choose which room to use – when I checked the other room out, it was exactly the same (even down to the logos inscribed onto the bathroom fixtures). She more than likely was simply being polite, though it could have been an unwritten code followed by Pokémon Center managers. One fact remains clear, though. My tendency to look for secrets where they may not exist had struck again.

In the end, the rightward room was my choice.

Around 10 o'clock, Cilan and I were in the room while Ash and Iris were in the lobby eating. I was deep in thought over a lot of things. How Bowser Jr. so easily sent me to the Pokémon World, how I could have easily stopped him yet seemed to not care, and how Ash and the others treated me as if they'd known me for years. Cilan interrupted my thoughts with a once again painful question.

"Timothy, if you don't mind me asking, why is it that you don't like discussing the SBL Tournament?"

I had not yet met anyone to whom I could truly tell why that is, and Cilan was no different. "Cilan, it...it's complicated," I told him. "And not important, either." My conscience flinched; that was a lie. I escaped the wrong-doing with a question for Cilan. "But...Cilan...I've been wondering. What is it that Pokémon Trainers...do, anyway?"

"Hmm...well, a lot of things. Some might say the most common action a Trainer takes is training their Pokémon to challenge Pokémon Gyms."

"Pokémon...Gyms? What's to 'challenge' in a gym?" If Cilan proved to be saying what I thought he was saying, I would have easily made a comment about working out or weight loss. Perhaps it would have been too easy, yet with my corny, childish sense of humor, it would've been worth it.

A look on Cilan's face told me he realized the strangeness of what he said. "Oh, not that kind of gym. Think of it as a sort of...dojo – where there's one trainer who is challenged."

"Oh, I...okay, I see now." That certainly made much more sense. As Cilan then went on to explain, these trainers that are challenged are especially difficult to beat, and they're called "Gym Leaders." People who specialize in defeating challengers and are hard to beat...sure, it may not mean the hand-to-hand combat I was used to, but the Gym concept seemed to linger in my thoughts for a while. My interest in Pokémon was elevated.

What Cilan said next threw me back into confusion. "Each Gym Leader usually specializes in one type."

"Type?" I asked. "Do you mean...species? Like they use the same Pokémon very time?"

"Oh, no, that's not what I mean. You see, Pokémon Types are so much more than that. They are what you may call..." He searched for the right word for a Real World resident, then found it. "They're what you would call an 'element.' Some refer to them as 'elemental types,' to eliminate confusion for those new to Pokémon Training."

"So..." I said, still assessing what he described, "I guess a few 'types' would be...Fire, Water, and...Electricity, right?"

"Well, we usually just call it 'Electric' here and leave it at that. But you've got the right idea."

"I'm guessing 'Wind' would be one?"

"Yes, and no. It's referred to as 'Flying,' not wind. It's because most Flying-types are, essentially, what you may call 'Bird Pokémon.' I admit, it is rather confusing when you're just starting out."

"Is 'Earth' one?"

"No, we call it 'Ground.'"

"Okay, what about 'Plant?'"

Cilan laughed a bit. "No, it's 'Grass.'"

I began to get the feeling that whoever classified the types were not from the Real World, and certainly not from the U.S. Come to think of it, the odds of the classifier(s) being from the Real World were second to none in the first place.

"Alright, so how many types are there in all?"

"If memory serves...yes, right. There are 17 known types."

"SEVENTEEN?" I shouted in sheer shock. "How on Earth are there _seventeen_?"

"Well, the world of Pokémon is a big place – and highly varied. Pokémon live virtually anywhere and everywhere."

"Do you...think you can name them all? The types, I mean?"

"I believe so. Let's see..." Cilan looked up at the ceiling, laid his index finger on his chin, and meditated on the question for a brief moment. As if he'd studied Pokémon his whole life, Cilan named them off while hardly ever pausing. "Fire, Water, Electric, Ground, Grass, Flying, Rock, Fighting – which I'm sure you'd relate to, and...Psychic, Ghost, Dark, Bug, Poison, Steel, Dragon, Ice, and Normal."

I stopped listening after I heard Psychic. "Psychic?" I asked, surprised, and Cilan quickly noted my look of concern.

"Oh, it's not what you think. People in the Real World often confuse 'Psychic' as something bad, but in Pokémon's case," –he says that in the context of Pokémon as a species, not necessarily the franchise– "it isn't. Some Pokémon have access to powers such as telekinesis and other things which, I agree, can be rather dangerous. But with Pokémon, the powers are entirely natural, and often come from whatever part of them acts as their brain. It usually means they have a higher level of intellect than most other Pokémon, or that they are more in tune with their surroundings."

To clarify what Cilan said, he basically said that Psychic-type Pokémon get their powers from a natural, safe source. I'd always been taught that anything "psychic"-related meant something bad, though, as I came to find out later, this was the only exception. For the time being, I chose to believe what Cilan informed me of (as he seemed to know the topic of Pokémon well) and started to move on to my next question, but Cilan unknowingly cut me off.

"That Espeon that attacked you with that blue energy...that blue energy was the move called 'Psychic.' It is, put simply, the telekinesis I mentioned."

I held back my previous question to ask what he meant by "Espeon," or, as I said it, "S...P...awn."

Cilan then responded, "Oh, right, you don't know. That pink Pokémon that attacked you was an Espeon – a Psychic-type. And that black one was Umbreon – a Dark-type."

"So...Esp-ee-awn, and Um-bree-awn, those are their names?"

"Precisely."

"Okay, but...what did you mean by the 'move' Psychic?"

"Ahh, good question. You see, all Pokémon use what are called a 'move' to attack. Each move has its own Pokémon Type as well, and each move's type deals different levels of damage against other Pokémon depending on the type of the Pokémon being hit. For example, a Fire-type would take twice the damage from a Water-type attack, yet only half the damage from a Grass-type one."

"So there's a type of Psychic, and a move called Psychic?"

"Yes. It sounds odd but it is true nonetheless. Its type is obviously Psychic."

"Alright, so what was that yellowy-orange beam that hit me? Umbreon fired it." I figured that, as long as I was stuck in this world, I might as well learn some things for my own protection.

"That was probably Hyper Beam," he swiftly said. "It's a Normal-type move, and is incredibly powerful. It does require some time afterward for the Pokémon who used it to recharge its energy before it can attack ag-WAIT!" He jumped. Cilan was wide-eyed, as if something that either he said or I said wasn't possible. "You...you were hit by Umbreon's Hyper Beam? And you're _fine_?"

"Yeah. Why?" I laughed. "Am I not supposed to be?"

"Well, no! It's one of the most powerful Normal-type moves! And one of the most powerful moves in _existence_!"

"Come on, Cilan." I laughed again. "You of all people should be aware of my...resistance to things. 'Impossible' things, you might say."

"I suppose you have a point." Now Cilan laughed as well. "Right, of course. I saw what you did, what you can do."

I quietly thought aloud while looking at the floor, "Some of it, anyway."

Cilan thankfully didn't hear me, however. He asked what I said, and got this answer from me: "Nothing – just talkin' to myself."

"Ahh. You...do that a lot?" He said jokingly.

"Heh, yeah. Never let anyone tell you otherwise, but we're all crazy in our own way."

He laughed. "Well put – words to live by there."

"Mmhmm, mmhmm," I nodded. "Exactly." One of the few friends I had in school once told me that little pearl of wisdom. He was all the time coming up with phrases such as those – smart sayings, yet usually comical. Some of that serious yet laughable personality had rubbed off on me a long time before this point.

I'd done forgotten what we were talking about, so I asked a question I'd been waiting to ask. "What is it that a person does when they've beaten these Gyms. I mean, where do they go from there?"

"Once a trainer defeats eight official Gyms in a given region," he began answering, "he or she can go to the Pokémon League tournament of said region. They'll face off against many other trainers in Pokémon battles of varying rules depending on how far into the tournament they are." Cilan paused, then went on. "If a trainer becomes the winner of this tournament, they'll go on to the Champions League, where they will face off against the five strongest trainers in the region. Over the course of four days, he or she will face the first four of the five – the Elite Four. The Champion – that is, the strongest trainer in the region – is faced a week later."

He had me at tournament.

"Did you say...'tournament?'" I wanted to be sure I heard him right. If it held true, Pokémon could very well be more appealing to me than ever before. Don't get me wrong; what we'd already discussed was interesting all on its own, but ever since discovering the Mushroom World, I had put myself up to many challenges along the way. Now that the SBL tournament was beaten, I felt obligated to accept any new kind of challenge – something fresh, unique, or even somewhat obscure. In my then-current position, Pokémon fit all three.

Cilan confirmed that he indeed said it, and then he smiled. "I suppose you like the sound of that, don't you?" Cilan could tell that, despite my dislike of the SBL subject, I did enjoy battling.

"Yeah, battling and the like is a sort of...hobby of mine."

Just then, Ash and Iris walked in. "Hey Cilan," Iris said, "Whatchya doing?"

"Just telling Timothy about Pokémon."

"Oh, cool," Ash said and turned to me. "I bet it's a lot to hear all at once."

"It is," I agreed. "But somehow...interesting."

He laughed in what I now know as a very Ash-like laugh. "Ehahaha, I know what you mean." His right hand formed a fist and he raised it up in excitement.

Cilan added the main reason why I was intrigued. "Hmm, it seems to me that he mainly became interested because of my mentioning of the Pokémon League tournament."

"Oh, yeah," Ash's fist tightened. "There's nothing like winnin' the Pokémon League!"

Iris looked at Ash in disapproval. "Yeah, except you've never beaten a single one..."

"Eheh," Ash put his hand behind his head in embarrassment. "Well, being a part of it is fun anyway."

I couldn't help but smile at Iris's blunt honesty. "So Ash, how many Pokémon Leagues have you challenged?"

"Five. I came really close the time before last, but still no luck in the end. I guess I just gotta keep working harder."

"Five, eh?" I realized then that if Ash was the main character and hero of the Pokémon anime and he still hasn't won the league yet, then Pokémon training and battling may be even more difficult than I thought. No need to let doubt hold me back, though. "So, how does a person even become a trainer in the first place?"

"That's easy," Ash answered with confidence. "You just get a Starter Pokémon. Every region has some."

Cilan elaborated deeper. "Exactly. Each region gives you the option of choosing from three Pokémon. One is a Grass-type, one is a Fire-type, and one is a Water-type.

"They all start out real cute," Iris said happily, "but they end up real powerful."

"Of course," Cilan noted, "she's talking about when they evolve."

"E...volve?" I asked. For once, something he said was familiar to me. I recalled the trophies in _Brawl_ that talked about Pokémon either evolving or having already evolved.

Cilan cleared up any possible confusion by mentioning how it really isn't the "evolution" I may have heard of. "It's more along the lines of...metamorphosis," he told me. "The process is instant, yet you usually never know when it's gonna happen until it happens."

The more I was told about, the more I knew that I knew nothing. The thought occurred to me to look up more information about Pokémon on the internet, which led to me remembering the communications tower near one of Nuvema Town's buildings. Then it hit me: "Wait a minute...is that communications tower in town a...radio tower?"

"Yes, I believe so." Cilan responded.

"Perfect!" I was isolated from the Mushroom World no more. "If you don't mind, I need to make a call."

I fast-walked past Cilan, went into the bathroom, and shut the door behind me. I then pulled a rather special object out of my right pocket. It was a custom-made red-colored Nintendo 3DS, capable of doing many things which no regular 3DS could. A simple radio tower was all I needed to contact certain residents of the Mushroom World. I have E. Gadd to thank for the 3DS, of course.

I flipped it open with the usual one-handed motion, and it turned on (it is programmed that way to save time). Only two seconds were needed for it to fully power on. I then spoke the verbal command "3DS, call Home," and held the 3DS sideways near my ear.

The phone rang at my house and was answered by my mom. "Hello?" She spoke with a slight yet detectable tone of wishful thinking.

"Mom?"

"Oh, Timothy? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Uhh, could you turn the video phone on? You know how I am with phone calls..." There's something to be said about the importance of talking face-to-face.

"Sure, wait one second."

She opened a secret panel in the phone holder and pressed the code into the buttons inside: 42009. If spoken in date form, it'd be the day I discovered the Mushroom World - April 20th, 2009. The wall beside her parted, leaving enough space for her to walk through. A room which used to be a simple closet was now accessible. Inside was a video phone the size of a 32" T.V., as well as a Pixelator (disguised as a security camera) and its control panel for quick getaways.

I held the 3DS out in front of me to wait for what I knew was coming. A message on the screen asked if I wanted to accept the incoming video transmission from "Home" and cancel the current call. I pressed the A button.

Static appeared on-screen for a second, and then was replaced by my mom. I said hello to her and she did likewise. Mom then asked if I was OK. I'd forgotten how long I'd been missing from the Mushroom World.

"I'm fine." I assured her.

"Where...are you?"

"I'm in the Pokémon World."

"_Pokémon_ World? How did you get _there_? And...why? I thought you didn't like that place?"

"Heh, funny story about that. But...I'll tell you later, if that's okay."

"Well, alright, but when can you get back?"

"Sometime in the afternoon or evening tomorrow. I'm staying the night in this town I'm in since the closest town with a Pixelator is a day away."

"What town are you in? And...where are you staying? I thought you didn't have any money with you?"

"I don't. It's Nuvema Town, and I'm staying in something called a 'Pokémon Center.' Pokémon Centers are funded by this place's government as far as I know, and people can stay here for free. Exactly how that works, I have no clue."

"That _is_ odd…but I'm glad you're okay." She paused. "Timothy, I know you can do a lot, to protect yourself I mean, but you did have us worried."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I only just realized-"

Mom caught a glimpse of the tattered part of my shirt. "Oh, your shirt! Were you hurt?"

"No, it didn't do all that much."

"It? What do you mean _it_?"

"A Pokémon - two of them, actually. They attacked me right after I got here, but I'm just fine. Some people of about my age scared them away anyway."

"Oh, dear. You need to be more careful."

"Well, I…those Pokémon felt threatened and attacked me, but their attacks, well, you know..."

"I...oh. Right, I still keep forgetting your...resilience."

"Yeah..." The subject needed to be changed. "Hey, mom, would you mind telling Mario that I'm okay and everything for me? Not that I can't tell him myself, but I'd like to get up early tomorrow."

"I would tell him, but he left not long after you did. No one's seen him since."

"That's strange. Did he say where he was going?"

"No, and, even stranger, when he left, he went out the same door you did, but then they say that he just...disappeared."

"Huh. Well, wherever he went, I'm sure he'll be fine." I didn't want to let on that I may know what happened to him. If I told her, then I'd have to explain what happened to me, which I was saving for when I would give her a written explanation. She loves to read, so I often type my adventures on my 3DS and send them to her, instead of telling her directly (it's easier that way anyhow).

"Well, if you're wanting to go to bed and all, I understand. I'll tell your father you're alright."

"Right. If you hear from Mario, let me know."

"Mmhmm. I will. Good night."

"G'night."

"I don't need to say this, but please...stay safe."

"Heh, right, I will."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." I cut off the connection, closed the 3DS, and put it back in my pocket.

A full-body mirror stood in front of me. This again reminded me of how simple my outfits tended to be. In this case, a simple blue T-shirt, a pair of gray-blue jean shorts, and blue-and-white Nike tennis shoes was my getup, and adding to the overwhelming color of blue on me was my blue eyes. The fact that my dark brown hair was short and nothing else certainly didn't help with the simplicity, leaving me with virtually no individuality.

I left the bathroom to find everyone else preparing themselves for bed. "You're going to bed? Already?"

"Yeah," Ash answered.

"It _is_ almost ten-thirty, y'know," Iris said.

I recalled the time-stamp on my 3DS which stated my house's current time. Apparently, the Unova region and my house were in the same time zone.

"Oh, I guess it is." Normally 10:30 would be a bit early to go to bed for me, but I planned on going to bed anyway, given the circumstances. Since I wasn't prepared for travel like I normally would be, I decided to sleep in the clothes I had on.

I asked the others where a person gets their "Starter Pokémon," and Ash told me that there are a bunch of places to get them. He then said that the closest place to get one happened to be "right here in Nuvema Town."

Cilan then asked why I wanted to know. I was going to keep it a secret until morning, yet my apparent drowsiness made me do otherwise.

I took off my shoes, and as I got in the bed and under the blankets, I said, "I think I might try out this...Pokémon training thing."

They all gasped, and then they all became excited. Iris asked why I decided this, and I said to her, "Like I said to Ash, the whole thing seems interesting, but...I still don't really know why."

"Well," Cilan added, "I think you'll really enjoy it, once you get started."

Ash made the same fist motion as before. "Yeah, Pokémon training is tons of fun!"

"Right. We'll see," I said, still not 100% convinced.

As I lay in my bed in the back-right corner, the others each took turns in the bathroom to change into their pajamas. By the time they all were done, I was asleep.

Unbeknownst to any of us, two mysterious figures quietly sat in the bushes outside the back of the Center, listening in to all of our conversations with high-tech electronic devices.

One with a female voice said to the other, "When morning comes, let's be sure to strike and strike hard."

The other said with a male yet snobby voice, "Agreed. They won't know what hit them."

The female one smiled wickedly and concluded, "We'll hit them so hard and fast their heads will spin!"

A third voice from a source much smaller than the other two spoke up with a New York City-type accent, "Yeah, with that new member of their group, they won't have a clue what to do! The boss is gonna love this!"

The three laughed evilly to each other, drowned out by the sounds of Bug-type Pokémon. They slept there that night, waiting patiently for the morning to come.


	4. Chapter 3 - Getting Started

**Chapter 3: Getting Started**

"_Listen. You need only to listen._"

"What...who..."

"_Your presence in this world astounds my friend and I, but that is irrelevant at the moment._"

"Who...are you? What is..."

"_Don't worry. We'll come meet you when the time feels right. For now, just know that you'll one day_-"

The voice cut off when I awoke. "What...was that?" I thought aloud.

"What do you mean?" asked Iris.

"I...never mind. It was just a dream, I guess. What time is it?"

"I don't know." She turned and asked Cilan and Ash if they knew.

Cilan went and checked the computer. "It's 9:36."

"You slept in pretty late," Ash said. His Pikachu, sitting on Ash's right shoulder, agreed by simply saying its own name. "Pi-ka chu?" It sounded a bit concerned.

"Heh, right, I forgot Pokémon talk by saying their name in different ways...Huh? Oh, uhh, yeah, I tend to sleep in a lot. Nothing strange about it, believe me."

"Well, I wish you didn't sleep so long," Iris added. "We're already ready to go and you're just getting up. What a kid." Axew popped out of her hair and agreed, saying, "Axew-yew."

"That's funny," I smirked. "I thought girls take a long time getting ready anyway?"

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Just stating the obvious. You should be thanking me, really, for sleeping in so late."

"Why, you..."

"Hey, look, Iris. Don't blame me. It's just that you've called me a kid twice now."

"Oh, and that bothers you?"

"Of course it does. It always has, mostly because I can do things most 'kids' can't. And besides - I'm 14."

"Well too bad, 'cause you are a kid and that's that."

"Oh really? Well in that case, what does that make you? You're barely older than me, if at all, and besides...to be honest, you have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Now now, you two," Cilan said. "Let's try and just calm down for a second. This is a big day for Timothy. Let's try not to begin it in bad taste."

"He started it..." Iris said grumpily.

"Wow, Iris," I smirked again. "That's just the sort of thing a kid would say. Thank you for proving my point."

"Wha...now wait! I didn't 'prove' anything!"

"No, you hit it spot-on. I couldn't have said it better myself."

"By saying what?"

I yawned - a sincere yawn, but still with perfect timing. "By saying I started everything. Kids always make that their argument in any fight."

"Well...you did...I mean...I..."

"See? Enough said."

Cilan couldn't help but laugh. "I think he's got your number Iris."

"Errraaah!" Iris growled.

I laughed and said, "Come on, you know I was joking right?"

"No, I don't believe you!"

"Well, that's too bad. I guess I'll just have to go and get the Pokémon to start with myself. What a shame..."

Pikachu shouted out "Pi-ka...CHUUUUU!" and launched electricity all over the room. It electrocuted all of us, including Ash. The three shouted out in pain and fell to the floor. I only grunted a bit, though I didn't plan on getting out of bed anytime soon.

"Man..." I said, still flinching. "That...Pikachu is...powerful."

"Eheh," Cilan said, short of breath. "I'd...have to agree."

"Pikachu..." Ash spoke, barely. "Why'd you...do that?"

"Well, Ash," Cilan said, "I...to answer your...question...I think Pikachu had enough of...the fighting between...Timothy and Iris."

"Really?" Iris grunted, then laughed. "What...gave you that impression?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "I think...Cilan's on to something there...and...Pikachu, too. I...admittedly...may have been a bit...out of line, with what I said I mean. Sorry about that, Iris. I just...well...I don't even know. There's no excuse, really."

"It's...fine," she responded, still in pain. "I guess...calling the SBL tournament Champion a kid _was_ a bit...well, it doesn't...really make any...sense. If you are really...the Champion...that is."

"Uh-huh," Ash said. "But..." he turned to his Pikachu, who was now on the floor and had its arms folded. "Pikachu, next time...would you mind not...trying so hard?"

"Let's just hope...there isn't a next time," Cilan said.

"I feel bad for those...wild Pokémon that...attacked me," I stated, managing to smile. "If Pikachu...hit them with _that_ attack...whew, that must've really hurt those two. No wonder they left when the rest of you arrived. What move..._was_ that, anyway?"

It...was Thunderbolt," Ash told me.

"Oh, okay." I paused, and then a thought struck me. "Hey..."

The others managed to get back up. Ash asked me what I was thinking of.

"Well," I answered, excited. "If that adorable little yellow mouse can zap us to kingdom come like it did, then...I really want to get in on this!"

No one understood what I meant. "What...are you saying?" asked Iris.

"It's just...with all the power inside of that Pikachu, and how I'm going to get a Pokémon soon...it reminds me of when I discovered what I was capable of. There's just so much to...explore, I guess."

"I hear ya," Ash replied. The most sincere look of complete excitement and understanding rushed over him. "Getting your first Pokémon is like starting a new life!"

"True," Cilan agreed. "There's no feeling quite like taking your first step into your Pokémon Journey. New friends, new foes, and new Pokémon all await you once you begin. It's like throwing yourself at the hand of fate and taking it on all at once!"

"Woah," I said, amazed. "It's gettin' poetic up in here..."

"There he goes again," Iris said, not amused. Axew popped out and agreed with "Axew, Ax..."

"Cilan's right, though," Ash said. "Pokémon journeys are a lot of fun. You never know what's gonna happen."

"Sounds familiar," I agreed with a _been-there_ attitude. "But..." anticipation settled back in. "What are we waiting for?" I threw the blankets and sheets off of me, lunged onto the floor, and immediately put my shoes on. "If you all are ready, then let's go!"

"Well, now wait a minute," Cilan stated. "You haven't eaten any breakfast yet."

His power of suggestion rumbled my stomach. "Oh, I guess you're right. Hmm...I wonder what they're having this morning."

"Eggs and sausage," Ash answered.

"You see," Cilan admitted, "We've kind of...already eaten."

"Oh." I didn't really mind - I was used to sleeping in and missing breakfast anyhow. "Well... - wait! How are there eggs and sausage? What, are there Real World animals here or something?"

"No, it's actually a matter of importing it all from the Real World," Cilan said. "You know how farmers in the United States are sometimes paid to let their corn go to 'waste' instead of selling it?"

"Uhh...yeah...it's to keep prices low."

"Well, that's really not the only reason. They ship the 'wasted' corn and other supplies from farms and other businesses to the Nintendo Worlds - specifically to this one and the Mushroom World."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Not even Mario told me about this. I knew they shipped some things to the Nintendo Worlds, but not in _that_ way. "Well, whatever, all this talk of food is making things worse. I'm gonna need to eat soon, as in, now."

"Yeah, I might go for seconds while you're at it," Ash said.

Cilan laughed. "That's Ash for you."

"What a kid," Iris proclaimed.

"Heh," I said with a grin. "At least it's not directed at me anymore..."

They all laughed. "Although," Cilan said, "I'd be careful if I were you. You give Iris any reason to think so again and she'll take it - believe me."

"Oh, so it's not just me?"

"Hey," Iris said, "You know I'm always joking, right?"

"You sure could-a fooled me," Ash replied, not convinced. Pikachu agreed and gave Iris a displeased look.

"Ehehe," she nervously laughed. "Okay, maybe sometimes I do mean it."

"Well," I concluded. "That's okay. Everyone is a kid at heart anyway."

"Very true," Cilan agreed. "Most people never truly grow up, from what I can tell."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Iris smiled. "I don't know why you'd want to grow up anyway..."

"Exactly," I said, proving how ridiculous our little conflict was. "14 isn't exactly 'adult' age in the first place..."

I went ahead and suggested that Ash and I go and get breakfast. I wanted to speed things along to ease my impatient self. When we ate, I found Ash to have an appetite which almost rivaled my own.

-Almost.

After breakfast and some double-checking to be sure no one forgot anything, we left the Center. The fresh, clean air of Nuvema Town made me wish the Real World's air was as appealing.

I asked what direction the place to get my first Pokémon was in, and Cilan said it was "this way." He took a left and motioned for the rest of us to follow. We headed straight for the building with the radio tower next to it.

It was still a good 100 feet away when I wondered what Pokémon I'd be choosing from. I asked what they'd be, but Cilan simply said, "You'll just have to wait and see!"

"Oh, so it's a surprise, then?" I asked, rhetorically. "Good, since I like surprises."

A female voice followed my statement up with, "Then you'll love this!"

We all turned to try to find the source. Bushes along the front-left corner of the Center rustled, and out jumped two people. They ran in between of the four of us and the building we aimed to enter.

One was a man with blue-violet hair, and the other was a woman with 3-feet long, magenta hair that stuck out and curved downward the whole way. Both of them wore white uniforms with a red letter "R" on the front, and both wore black boots. The man wore white pants which tucked into his boots, while the woman wore a short, skin-tight white skirt. Her boots came almost up to her skirt, being easily twice the height of the man's boots.

Ash, Iris, and Cilan all shouted out at once who the two people were. "Team Rocket!"

The woman laughed and grinned an evil grin. "I think we'll give the twerp a throwback, eh?"

"Hmm, yes, we should," the man said.

Two large pink metallic hands with extended gray metallic arms shot from the sky; I looked up to see a hot-air balloon fashioned in the shape of a certain Pokémon's head. The hands grabbed Pikachu and somehow managed to grab Axew, despite it still being hidden in Iris's hair. Pikachu tried using its Thunderbolt attack, but as the woman noted, the hands were Thunderbolt-proof. Ash and Iris called out to their Pokémon, yet to no avail.

"Prepare for trouble," the woman smirked.

"And make it double," her partner continued. My arms were folded at this point. I could see they obviously were bad guys, here to either harm or steal Pikachu and Axew.

"To protect the world from devastation!" the woman said with pride.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" the man shouted with nothing to hide.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or you're in for a fight!"

Suddenly a Pokémon of about a foot tall jumped in between the two. "Meowth, that's right!"

I found it hard to contain myself. "You...have _got_ to be kidding me." The humor of the moment was too much. "Tchssssahahaha! Of all the ridiculous introductions!"

"I beg your pardon?" James asked, not seeing the joke.

"You...you three really put the Koopa Bros.'s entrance to shame...I mean..." I put my hand on my face, then looked back at them. "Is all that _really_ necessary?"

"Yes, of course it is!" Jessie proclaimed.

"Rrrright. And uhh, by all that you said...I can see that you're goal is clearly something involving Pikachu and Axew, but...you're not communists, too, are you?"

The Pokémon in front of them was the one to respond this time. "What're you blabberin' about?"

"What the...you...talked?" I turned to Ash and asked who these odd characters were.

"They're called 'Team Rocket,' and they're always trying to steal Pikachu and the rest of our Pokémon..."

"So..." I turned back to the strange trio. "You three are like...poachers?"

"What? How dare you!" James angrily shouted. "We're nothing like poachers! I resent that remark!"

"Okay, well, if you steal Pokémon, and don't make a profit off of them...do you use them yourselves?"

"We give them to the boss!" the Pokémon exclaimed.

"Okay...then - wait...I've...seen you before."

"Who...me?" it asked.

"Yeah...I..." I thought for a moment and then remembered. "That's right! You're the Pokémon in the Smash Bros. series who comes out and throws a bunch of coins which to me have, for whatever reason, always looked like bread."

As the Pokémon itself said before, its name was "Meowth." It was a cat-like, cream-colored Pokémon with an ovoid head. A golden, oval coin-like charm with four thin horizontal lines on it sat on Meowth's forehead, with a cream-colored whisker sticking straight up on either side. Four other whiskers stuck out of the side of his head, with two on the left side and two on the right. It had wide eyes with cat-like pupils, and wide, black-rimmed ears with a pale-pink inside. Its hind paws were brown, as was the tip of its long curled tail, which resembled that of a honey bun at the end. The hot-air balloon was modeled after Meowth's head.

Cilan noted the Smash Bros. comment and asked, "Wait...are you referring to Meowth's move called 'Pay Day?'"

"Pay Day? Umm, I guess. Whatever attack Meowth used in Smash Bros. is the one I'm talking about."

"Well, that's the one. It's a Normal-type move," he told me.

"Could you two discuss this later?" Iris pleaded. "We're kind of in the middle of something..."

"Oh, yeah, right," I said. To become a good Pokémon Trainer, I knew I needed to soak in as much as I could when I could, though now really wasn't the right time.

Ash, becoming impatient, reached into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball - a ball made out of a light metal and was half red and half white, with the colors being separated by a black line and a circular white button in the middle of the line at one point. He pressed the button and the ball increased in size from an inch to more than three inches in diameter.

Ash started to throw the Poké Ball to let out a Pokémon to help, but I stopped him. "Ash," I told him. "And everyone. Please, leave it to me."

"No," Iris said. "There's no reason you should have to get involved."

"No," I told her. "Listen. I...look, all of you. You've done so much for me, and I didn't ask you to do any of it. And the fact of the matter is that I can handle these three. I can already see that you've dealt with them before and you know them pretty well. I think it's only fair that you all let me deal with this."

"Hey, just who do you think you are, buster?" Jessie said, attempting to scold me.

I gave them a look that could cut solid steel, though they didn't see it that way.

"Oooh," James said sarcastically. "I'm so terrified."

"Heheha!" Meowth chuckled. "What's that supposed to do? Get lost, kid! Before you get hurt with the rest of the twerps!"

"Team Rocket," I began. "You've made an ignorant mistake. Look, I don't _care_ if you happen to seem to have the upper hand here. I realize I'll be going up against you with just myself and no Pokémon or side assistance, but after I'm done, you'll _wish_ I used a Pokémon."

"He gives a nice speech," said a naive Jessie, "but let's see him put it to good use. Oh, wait - that's right!" She leaned forward and grinned. "You can't. You know why? Because you're just a kid. A little, insignificant punk with no back up to your come backs."

Now I leaned forward. Her kid comment didn't help the Team's situation. "Now I want you three to take a good, long look at me. Let it settle for a bit, and see if you can't recall who I am."

They paused and glared. Meowth soon answered with, "OK, I give. Who're you supposed to be?"

James remarked with humored confidence, "You look like a walking blueberry." The trio laughed to each other at this.

"I could honestly care less how I look or dress," I told them. "All I'm concerned about right now is returning those stolen Pokémon - that, and I want to see the look on your faces when I show you that you have absolutely no chance of winning here. That's right, none."

"Oh is that so? You and what army?" Jessie remarked. "All I see is a puny, pathetic-looking person who isn't even a trainer yet."

"Lady, before I came to the Pokémon World, I was much more than a simple 'non-trainer.' I still am, and if you have any sense you'll give up now while you still can."

"I still don't see any sign of danger with you. Hmm? Anything? No, I thought not."

"Alright, I guess you are starting to bore me, anyway."

"Okay, that's it, I've heard enough!" James proclaimed. He pulled a remote control out of his pocket and pressed the only button on it - a big red one. Out of a gray compartment under the basket which they'd sit in while traveling, a hatch opened. Two more hands shot out of the compartment and headed straight for me.

"O-**kay**. You've done enough harm," I said with anger and stepped forward. "Everyone, stand back."

The hands were coming in with tremendous speed. I moved my hands to behind me, then stiffened up, and thrusted them forward, right as Team Rocket's hands got there. Each hand was twice the size of my own, though the force behind them left a lot to be desired. The hands were stopped cold.

"Wha...What?" James said.

"How...?" Jessie asked.

"Woah..." Iris and Ash both said. Iris continued, "How did you...how are you...doing that?"

The hands still pressed against my own. "Well, Iris," I told her, "Do you believe me now?"

She nodded. "I think maybe I can see it now."

I turned back to the trio. "Alright, Team Rocket. You'd better stay away from these people from now on."

Meowth wasn't convinced. "Oh yeah? Or you'll do what? I don't see you doing anything but standing there. Who _cares_ if you can stop those hands? They're not on full throttle!" He took James's remote and pushed the button twice. The force of the hands doubled in power.

I laughed. "Is that all you've got?"

Meowth frowned. "Uhh...are you FOR REAL?"

"Meowth," James said. "Please tell me that's not the highest level of power we have this time..."

"Ehehe..." he put his paw behind his head. "I didn't plan on this happening. It's not like he's...OH NO!" He put his paw back down. "Remember what the twerpette said this morning that we laughed at?"

"Wait..." Jessie answered. "You...don't think..."

"Oh come now," James said. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Hey, kid," Meowth asked me. "What's your...name?"

"Timothy," I replied. "Timothy Stevens."

The trio froze. "No, you couldn't be!" James shouted. "You _can't_ be!"

"But..." Jessie said. "He couldn't be _that_ young, could he?"

James unconfortably answered, "I've...heard rumors that that..."SBL" Champion...is no older than the twerps!"

"Hunh!?" Meowth shouted. "No, that means...but why would someone like this guy be here at a time like this!?"

"Look," I cut in. "I get how you three are debating whether or not I'm the SBL Champion, and I get why it'd be confusing for that person to be this young or even be in this world in the first place, but...the fact of the matter is that I definitely am that person. And I'm done talking. Either you give me those Pokémon back now, or I'll take them back myself."

"Hmm..." James thought aloud. "Should we do as he says?"

Jessie growled. "Alright, look, I don't care if you're the president of the Team Rocket Fan Club! We never give in to _anyone's_ demands!"

"Tch," I smirked. "You have a fan club?" I bit my lip, trying not to laugh and lose my focus.

"Enough!" James exclaimed. "Jessie's right! We never back down!"

"Well then get ready, because, like I said, I'm done talking."

I lit up my left hand with fire. Ash, Iris, and Cilan gasped in surprise, while the Team Rocket trio gasped in fear.

"Oh man," a worried Meowth said. "But...that's not fair! This thing ain't fireproof!"

"Too bad," I said back. The hand pressing on my left hand exploded. Its arm retracted a bit and laid down, having no way to stay up. I was free to smash the other mechanical hand with my still-flaming one. It blew up with ease.

The trio was stunned. I wasted no time and raced toward the leftward Pikachu. My logic was simple: Pikachu was the Pokémon that scared Espeon and Umbreon away, so I'd rescue it first.

"Oh, no you don't!" Meowth yelled. He pressed the button again and two more hands appeared.

I jumped above one and ducked under the other. They both continued straight and slammed the ground hard. I jumped again, over top Team Rocket and to the hand holding Pikachu. The ten foot leap amazed Ash and Iris, to which Iris replied, "Woah! What a jump!"

My flaming fist crashed into the arm of the machine and cut it like butter. When I landed, I reacted in an instant to turn and dive for Pikachu. A perfect catch.

"You okay?" I asked Pikachu as I shielded it from the debris.

I looked down and it nodded, saying, "Pi-ka...chu."

I placed Pikachu on the ground and told it to go to Ash. Pikachu began running, and so I turned to Axew and dashed toward it. The two hands from earlier pulled themselves out from the ground and lunged to me again. I stopped running and faced them. They were close enough together that I blocked them both with just my right arm; my left hand was used to obliterate them with one fiery punch each.

"Hey!" Meowth shouted. "Those things ain't cheap ya know!"

"It's not my fault that you three decided to show up," I said as I continued on. Another jump and a fiery punch into the arm of Axew's capturer, and Axew was freed. I dove for Axew, caught it, and told it to go back to Iris.

The trio jumped into the basket of their Meowth balloon.

"I suggest a retreat," James said to the two.

"Hmm...wait!" Jessie said. "Let's see if he can handle our Pokémon..."

"Hmhmm, great idea," James said snobbly. "He may be able to handle our mechanical hands, but let's see him deal with our Pokémon."

"Yeeaaah," Meowth said with an over-emphasized New York City accent. "It's not like he's a Pokémon or any-"

Loud sounds of static and malfunctioning machinery stopped their conversation. Ash yelled out to me and told me to get out of there. Knowing that he likely knew something I didn't, I ran toward him and the others.

"Meowth!" Jessie shouted. "Hurry up and get the jetpacks!"

"I can't..." he said back.

"Why not!?"

"Because...you told me we wouldn't need them this time."

"Well, Meowth, you know how Jessie can be with giving directions!" James exclaimed.

"What was that?" Jessie said with an ominous tone.

"Oh, uhh, never mind that, Jess!"

Meowth simled with sarcasm. "OK, you two, you ready for a real throwback?"

A Pokémon randomly popped out behind the trio. It was a blue blob in the shape of a grounded punching bag with four spherical blobby "feet," eyes shaped like less than and greater than symbols, a black rounded tail with wide-open eyes, rectangular arms, and a squiggly upper lip. Some of its blobbly skin hung from the top of its head to behind it. The odd Pokémon, which I also remembered from Smash Bros., shouted its name while touching its head with its right arm. "Woooobbufffff-et!"

With that, the balloon and all of its trimmings erupted in a fiery explosion. The force was so great that the Team Rocket trio and their Wobbuffet were launched up into the sky. As they flew, they simultaneously shouted out "We're blasting off again!" and Wobbuffet shouted its name once more. Wherever they were sent to, it was far from us.

Smoke cleared to reveal a pile of balloon fragments and remnants of the various metal contraptions.

"Oh man!" I ran my hand along my forehead and some of my hair. "Did I...overdo it?"

Cilan and Iris didn't know how to respond, though Ash was unnaturally calm.

"Huh, they haven't done that in a while," Ash laughed. "But, heheh, nah, they used to do that all the time. They'll be fine." Pikachu nodded and agreed with nervous laughter. "Pi-hi-ka chu..."

"But..." Iris began. "How did you..."

"What?" I asked. "The fire thing?"

"Well, yeah," Ash continued. "And that jump..."

"Well, you see," I said to them. "I told you yesterday that I don't really know how I do what I do, but that was...just me being modest, I guess." I paused, trying to decide if I should continue. "But...I've trained over the course of almost a year and a half to do these things and more. The thing is...Mario and Luigi taught me most of it."

"Mario and Luigi?" Cilan asked with a hint of excitement.

"Yeah, it's a long story of training and difficult tests, but they did."

"Wow, I knew you'd known them since before the SBL tournament, but I didn't know they taught you all that..."

"Yep, they did." I would have explained further, but I took quick note of the mess. "Okay...so...what do we do with all this rubble?"

"The police usually comes and cleans it up," Cilan answered.

"Yeah," Iris continued. "They've been after the main organization of Team Rocket for forever, so they don't mind it if they can get some clues to where the headquarters is."

"Huh," I said blankly. "So...are Pikachu and Axew okay?"

Both Pikachu and Axew, which were back in their usual positions on Ash's shoulder and halfway inside of Iris's hair, raised an arm and essentially said yes with their names.

"Alright, so...should we just go ahead and get back to what we were doing?" Normally I'd help with the cleanup, but Cilan then assured me that Nurse Joy would likely call in the necessary authorities to handle the situation. I left it alone after hearing this, and we all continued on to the building where I'd get my Pokémon.

Ash held out his tightened fist with anticipation. I almost rolled my eyes at his over-excited pose, though I couldn't help but wonder if I might end up acting the same way. The longer we waited, the more I could not.

We reached the comparatively massive orange building. Ash mentioned it as being "Professor Juniper's lab."

"Professor?" I asked.

"She's an expert on Pokémon," Cilan answered.

"A 'Professor,' huh?" My experiences made me respect that title.

The glass doors slid open automatically. I looked inside with overwhelming joy. I knew that, once I walked in, my journey as a Pokémon Trainer would begin.


	5. Chapter 4 - The Journey Begins

**Chapter 4: The Journey Begins**

"Woah," I said to myself. I didn't expect this professor's lab to have so much space inside. A 20-foot ceiling; a doorway on the ground floor 30 feet directly ahead; and a staircase on either side of the room, both leading to a room on the second floor, was what awaited us. Metallic gray was the floor's color, with the walls being white and the staircases' railings being orange-red.

The doors shut behind us, and a moment later, a woman walked through the doorway straight ahead. She had light brown hair which was short in the areas that hair would normally come down, but on top of her head, her hair was fashioned in such a way as to remind me of whipped cream, a thought which led me to think, "I guess I'm gonna have to get used to weird hair styles..." She wore a white shirt and a short skin-tight green skirt, as well as a white lab coat with a blue tint. Red kite-shaped earrings and red and white shoes completed her look.

"Oh, hello," the woman said. "Oh, Ash! And Cilan and Iris! I thought you three left already?"

"We did," Ash answered. "But we're back."

"You see, professor," Cilan continued. "There's a new trainer here, ready to get his first Pokémon."

"Oh, I see," she replied, turning to me. She walked forward. "Hello, my name is Juniper - Professor Juniper, that is. Who might you be?"

"Timothy," I answered.

"Well then, it's nice to meet...wait. You look...familiar, somehow."

"Ahh," I said, somewhat embarrassed. "You must've watched the SBL tournament, then."

"No, I didn't have the time to watch that this year. I've...seen you somewhere else, but...no matter. What's important is that you get your Pokémon, right?"

"Right." I breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone so far had reacted differently to hearing what I accomplished that week, so there was no telling what the next reaction might be.

"Hmm...well, wait right there a moment, Timothy, and I'll bring you the three Pokémon you'll be choosing from." She turned and went back through the doorway she came from.

"Have you decided if you'll make your decision based on the Pokémon's types?" Cilan asked.

"I...no, I haven't," I told him. "Uhh, Cilan, would you mind telling me all of the types that Grass, Fire, and Water-types are...weak to? If you know them all, that is."

"I'd be happy to. Let me see..." He looked up. "Grass is weak against Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison. Fire is weak to Ground, Water, and Rock, and Water is only weak to Grass and Electric. Although..." he looked back at me. "You should know that when this region's Fire-type starter evolves, it gains a second type of Fighting, making it weak to Flying and Psychic while becoming neutral to Rock."

"Oh," I said, taking it all in. "I...didn't know Pokémon could have _two_ types."

"They can," Cilan confirmed, "though not all of them do."

"I'm not sure I caught everything Cilan just said," Ash said. "But... _any_ Pokémon can become strong, no matter how many types have the advantage." Pikachu raised its arm and agreed, proudly saying "Pika pi-_ka_ chu."

"I know," I assured Ash. "I just wanted to know the weaknesses ahead of time - just so I'd be ready for whatever comes."

"Timothy's got a good point," Iris said to Ash.

"Right," Cilan agreed. "It's smart for him to learn the potential types his first Pokémon will be weak to before he becomes a trainer."

"Yep," I said to the three. "Something Mario and Luigi taught me - know your enemy."

A voice broke the conversation. "I'm back!" Professor Juniper walked back in, pushing a double-decker, metal, four-wheeled, silvery-gray cart with three un-minimized Poké Balls - sitting a foot or two apart from each other - on top.

Juniper brought the cart up to a few feet from me, and then turned it sideways to make it perpendicular to me. She stood on the other side of the cart and grabbed the Poké Ball that was furthest to my left.

"You'll be choosing from these three Pokémon," she happily proclaimed. "First up," she said as she threw the ball up into the air, "Snivy, a Grass-type!"

The ball opened mid-air. A blast of white light poured out and onto the table, accompanied by a _Kuffff-ssseeeooww-shwwoyyy-pshh!_ sound. The light faded and revealed the Pokémon called Snivy.

Snivy was a thin, mostly green snake-like Pokémon. It was not much taller than a foot, and had a long pointed snout which took up essentially its entire face - the snout began from the top of its head. Its eyes were red with a white background, and were surrounded by a yellow marking which curved down and went to Snivy's neck. From either side of its neck sprouted what would be best described as yellow, crescent-shaped leaves, which both curved in the opposite direction of where Snivy faced.

A yellow line ran down its back and ended at its tail. The end of Snivy's tail easily resembled a leaf of poison ivy, and had three points to it. Snivy's short, skinny, green arms had three small, pointy fingers, while its short, pointy legs had no toes at all. Its legs and much of its underside were cream-colored; the area of Snivy which contained its small mouth and the bottom half of its snout was of the same cream coloring. Two thin horizontal black lines ran along the underside of Snivy, near its neck.

Juniper caught the Poké Ball (which seemed to jump right back into her hand) shortly after it opened. She then placed it in front of Snivy and picked up the Poké Ball in the middle. She threw it up into the air, stating, "Next, is Tepig, a Fire-type!" The ball opened with the same light as before, and Tepig stood firmly on the table.

Tepig was a mainly orange pig-like Pokémon, and was about a foot tall. The top of its head was a deep dark brown, turning immediately into orange after reaching its light-red oval nose. Its oval eyes sat halfway in the dark brown coloring and halfway in the orange. Tepig's eyes were black with white pupils and a white background around the colored area in its eyes. Despite looking like a pig, its dark brown ears were long and thin, and were positioned much like a rabbit's ears.

Continuing from the lower part of Tepig's face, its upper back and its upper underside were orange. Its lower back, its rear, and its lower underside were dark brown. Tepig's tail was thin, curly, and black, with a light-red sphere at the end. Its front legs were orange and had rounded dark brown hooves, while its hind, toe-less legs were solid orange.

The professor caught Tepig's Poké Ball, laid it in front of Tepig, and threw the last one upward. "And finally," she stated with affirmation, "Oshawott, a Water-type!" Oshawott shot out like the other two, and stood timidly.

Oshawott was a sea otter-like Pokémon, and was about the height of Snivy. Its head was white, with blue conical ears that were wide and did not stick out much. Its oval eyes had white pupils and were entirely black otherwise. Each of its cheeks had three black freckles which formed a triangle.

Oshawott's round body was a greenish ocean blue, with said body's fur forming bubble shapes near Oshawott's neck. Its wide, stubby, fingerless arms were white, while its flipper-like feet with three toes were dark blue. Its tail was dark blue as well, and was essentially a tail fin. Attached to its stomach was what I'd discover to be Oshawott's signature, cream-colored scallop, known specifically as a "scalchop" due to its use as a weapon.

Juniper caught and placed Oshawott's Poké Ball in front of it. "All right then," she said to me. "Take your time and choose carefully."

I walked closer to less than an arm's length from the table, and examined each Pokémon. I thought long and hard as I peered back and forth from one to the other. Snivy would have the hardest time, having five weaknesses. Tepig would end up having four, but with it being a Fire/Fighting type, it would fit my own abilities to a tee. Oshawott only had two types to worry about, making it just as good of a choice. After a few more moments passed, I stated, "I've made my decision."

"Hmm, okay," Juniper said. "Go on and pick the Poké Ball belonging to your choice."

"Right," I nodded.

Arms folded, I eyed the three of them one by one once more. Each of the three starters glared intently at me, seeming as though they had a physical need to be picked. I then stared closer at Tepig. It stared back at me and then closed its eyes happily, saying, "Tep-ig Tep-_ig_." I turned and looked at Oshawott. It shyly looked at me, and then managed to say, "Osh...a-wott!" Seconds apart, I faced Tepig, then Oshawott, then Tepig, then Oshawott, and then Tepig.

I unfolded my arms and reached out with my left hand. I moved my hand back and forth between the vicinity of Tepig's Poké Ball and Oshawott's. I could sense the two's anxiety and elevating impatience.

I snatched up the appropriate Poké Ball and stated, "I choose Snivy."

"What?" Iris gasped. "I thought...you'd choose Tepig? 'Cause of your...umm, well..."

"Because of my abilities?" I asked.

"Yeah, that. It...just would've made more sense."

"I agree," Cilan said. "A Fire and soon-to-be Fighting type would be the perfect match for someone with your...skills."

"You'd think so," I answered.

Juniper laughed. "Would you all mind telling me what you're talking about?"

"Heh, never mind that," I told her. "It's a long story."

"But...why'd you choose Snivy, anyway?" Iris asked.

"I'll tell you all later," I replied.

"Well," Juniper cut in. "Let's continue. Timothy, that Poké Ball in your hand is, of course, something which you can carry your Snivy around with. And...you'll need these, as well." Still standing on the opposite side of the cart, she reached down to the bottom table of the cart and picked up a blue-and-red 6" by 4" box which was two inches deep, containing five minimized Poké Balls organized in the shape of a pentagon.

From my point of view, Juniper then came around the right side of the cart. She handed me the box, saying, "These Poké Balls can be used to catch wild Pokémon to add them to your team." Juniper smiled and continued. "I'll let Ash and his friends teach you how to do that. They're more than capable."

I held on to the box with my right hand. "Right, I figured. So..." I looked down at Snivy, then at its Poké Ball in my other hand, and back over to Juniper. "How do I...use this thing?"

"Simple. Just point the white button that's in the middle of the Poké Ball at Snivy, tell your Snivy to 'return,' and that's that."

"Really? It's that easy?"

"Mmhmm. Why don't you give it a try?"

"Okay." I rotated the ball and pointed the button at Snivy. "All...right. Snivy, return."

Immediately, a red beam an inch wide shot out of the button and hit Snivy, joined by a simultaneous sound of _tssss-sheeeeowwowoww_. Snivy transformed into a red silhouette of itself in a flash. A second later, Snivy's silhouette was sucked into the ball, as if the beam moved in reverse. During this, the sound of _ffsssss-thssss-eowww_ occurred, followed by _puffsh!_ when Snivy finished returning to its Poké Ball. A red light appeared on the button after Snivy was completely inside. Another second or two passed, and the red light faded away.

"Now," Juniper said as I looked back up at her, "Press the button, and the ball will shrink so you can fit it in your pocket."

I gazed at the red-and-white ball in my hand. "Snivy," I thought. "You're with me now." I followed her directions and the ball did exactly as she said. I put it away in my left pocket.

Juniper took Tepig's Poké Ball and returned it to its Poké Ball, much like I returned Snivy. She then did the same with Oshawott, and placed the two Poké Balls back on top of the cart.

"There is one more thing I need to give you," Juniper stated.

"Oh. What's that?" I asked.

She turned right, crouched down, and grabbed an object from the lower table of the cart. She stood back up, turned leftward, and handed the object to me.

"This is called a 'Pokédex,'" she told me.

Holding it with my left hand, I examined it. The Pokédex's overall shape resembled a smart phone. The top half contained a screen which was touch-sensitive, surrounded by dark gray, which was the object's main color. The bottom half held an entirely red Poké Ball symbol (aside from the dark gray line going through its middle and the white button at its center), tilted clockwise at a 45 degree angle.

"A Poké...'dex?'" I asked.

"Mmhmm," she answered. "It's a device which will tell you a lot about the Pokémon you catch, as well as those which you encounter along the way."

"Oh, so it's...like an encyclopedia of Pokémon?"

"Oh, my!" Juniper said. "I...that's exactly what it is! Good guess, Timothy."

"Heh, thanks," I answered. My quick-learning skills were still as sharp as ever.

"Well," Juniper smiled, "I'm afraid I have to get back to work. Things have been rather busy lately."

"That's okay," Cilan said. "We understand." While he said this, I placed the Pokédex in my right pocket.

"Good luck with whatever you're working on," Iris told Juniper. Axew further emphasized this by showing itself and saying, "Axew-Ax!"

Juniper thanked Iris, took a hold of the cart, and turned it to face toward the back room's doorway. "Give my regards to Professor Oak, Ash," she said, waving.

"I will," Ash assured her.

Juniper turned and began pushing the cart back to the room. In a few seconds, she was gone.

"So," Ash said with an easily detectable sense of anticipation. "Isn't this just awesome!? You've got your first Pokémon!"

"Yeah, I..." I said to him, then paused. "Hmm, well, what do you say we go back to the Center before we go anywhere. I want to make sure your Pikachu and Iris's Axew are okay."

"A good idea," Cilan said.

"We can get going to Accumula Town after that," I continued. "Plus, I'm sure Snivy could use a checkup as well."

The three nodded and said "Mmhmm." Ash then asked what I planned on doing after the checkup.

"Well," I answered, "I guess I'll challenge the nearest gym - once I've trained Snivy some, of course. Where _is_ the closest gym, anyway?"

"The closest gym is in Striaton City," Cilan said. "It's a city which isn't too far from Accumula Town."

"Oh, well...then, I guess we'll go there."

'You see," Ash said, "Cilan was one of the gym leaders there."

"What?" I paused. "That explains why he knows so much about types and whatnot. Huh..."

"That, and I'm a Pokémon Connoisseur," Cilan stated.

"Con...ah...sue-er?" I thought for a moment and recalled, "Wait...that's a French word...but pronounced...differently?"

"Oh, I didn't know you spoke Kalosic."

I shook my head. "Heh, umm...you wanna...explain that?"

"He really _doesn't_ know much about this world..." Iris said, feeling sorry for me.

Cilan laughed. "That's understandable. Timothy," he said to me. "Kalos is another region of the Pokémon World, like Unova. You would consider it...like France, I suppose."

"Ahh, I see," I said. "So...if you're a connoisseur...of Pokémon, then you must know a lot about Pokémon, right?"

"Exactly," Cilan confirmed.

From my second language of French, I knew a connoisseur was someone who is an expert in something, usually relating to fine arts or food.

"Well, I think we should head back now," I stated. "I don't want to wait too long and have to stay the night again before we get to Accumula Town."

"Yeah," Ash happily replied. "The sooner we get back to the Center, the sooner you can really get your journey going!"

Cilan and Iris agreed, and the three let me walk out first. The doors slid open as before. We left the lab, took a right, and headed straight for the Center.

"Nurse Joy!" I called out when we walked inside the Pokémon Center. I then fast-walked up to the desk.

Joy answered my call with, "Oh, you all are back. How can I help you?"

"I'd like you to check up on Ash's Pikachu and Iris's Axew, just in case. And...also..." I reached into my left pocket and pulled Snivy's Poké Ball out. "Could you take a look at my Snivy, too?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to."

I handed the ball to her, and then she noticed the box of Poké Balls I was holding. "Do you have anything to carry those in?"

"Well, I...have my pockets," I answered. "Hmm, if you had a teleporter, there is one thing which I could use. It, well, it's complicated. It's smaller than a minimized Poké Ball, but it would fit everything, believe me."

"What?" Iris said as she walked closer with Ash and Cilan. "How could that...whatever it is, fit all of that?"

"Eheh," I said, knowing how ridiculous it sounded. "Like I said, it's complicated."

Nurse Joy had a confused look, and said, "I don't know how that would be possible, but there is something you could do. Even though Pokémon Centers don't get a Pixelator until three months after opening, they _do_ get a Poké Ball transporter first thing, for emergencies. Perhaps you could get that object sent here with that transporter?"

"Oh, that'd be great!" I told her.

"Okay, then," she stated. "Let me go and give these three Pokémon to my Pokémon assistants, and then I'll see what I can do."

Nurse Joy reached down into a shelf behind the front desk and picked up a white Poké Ball tray. She placed Snivy's Poké Ball firmly inside one of the six slots, and had Pikachu and Axew sit on the rest of the tray.

She then turned and carried the three Pokémon through the Nintendo logo door. It swayed back and forth after she was in the room, much like the double doors leading to the hallway. Moments later, Nurse Joy reappeared without the tray, and asked me if I knew anyone to call.

I said in return, "Oh, wait. That's okay. I can call him myself. Thank you, though."

Before Ash, Iris, or Cilan got a chance to ask me who I was going to call, I turned rightward and passed in front of them. I went and sat in one of the red-cushioned booths at the far right of the Center's lobby. I laid the box of Poké Balls on the table and promptly pulled out my 3DS. When it powered on, I spoke the command, "3DS, call _E. Gadd_."

The top screen showed static for a few moments. The static soon disappeared and was replaced by Professor E. Gadd. All I could see was his face, as usual. An elderly, round-headed man, he had the usual grayish-green glasses with nearly hypnotic swirls on them, as well as being bald - aside from his iconic, thin bit of white hair sticking straight up from the center of the top of his head.

E. Gadd addressed me with his usual gibberish. "Ordoh? Ho-oh! Dofidsn! Zsed ee biqmoba!"

My 3DS gives me a text box on the top screen (translating what he's saying in parentheses), but thankfully, I had already learned his bizarre language. He said, "Hello? Oh! Timothy! What a surprise!"

I replied with, "Hey, E. Gadd! How are you?"

He answered with, "Awhawhaw, Oaf voca. Zsaqa'xa nui saac ivv du? (Hahaha, I'm fine. Where've you been off to?)"

"E. Gadd," I said to him. "You know I understand you and everything, but...do you really have to keep talking like that? I mean, is it a physical _need_ for you to sound like you're insane?"

He chuckled once more, and said, "Zagg, od zuigv'd sa fa ov O jojv'd, viz zuigj od? (Well, it wouldn't be me if I didn't, now would it?)"

"Heheh," I laughed, nervously. "No, I guess not. But...E. Gadd..."

"Nab? (Yes?)"

Ash, Cilan, and Iris reached the booth by now.

"Could you...maybe...send item code _TC_ to me?" I asked.

"TC?" he replied. "Biqa, zsaqa du? (Sure, where to?)"

"To Nuvema Town, in the Pokémon World."

"Oyamaa! Suku suku, O bimmuba nui voceggn zacd dasaqa, qoysd? (Woah! And so, I suppose you finally went there, right?)"

"What do you mean...'finally?'"

"Ohoho, vaxaq fovj dsed. Ogg bavj od - dsed ob, dasa 'TC' - ov ee fufavd. (Hehehe, never mind that. I'll send it - that is, the 'TC' - in a moment.)"

"Who are you talking to?" Iris asked.

Cilan spoke up before I could answer. "That voice...and speech pattern. That couldn't be...no, of course not, not _him_, that's ridiculous!"

"He's an old friend of mine," I said. "Or, well, old in the sense that I've known him for a while."

Gadd continued, "O ef ugj, erdieggn. Dsed ob ee verd, nee kvuz. Oaf vud ebsefaj, 'reiba od faevb Oaf bveqdaq! Suku suku, O uid-qevt nui! (I am old, actually. That is a fact, ya know. I'm not ashamed, 'cause it means I'm smarter! And so, I out-rank you!)"

I laughed. "Still as objective as ever..." I turned to the others. "His name," I said, "is Professor E. Gadd."

"Gah!" Cilan shouted in surprise. "I thought he sounded familiar!"

"What language is he speaking?" Iris asked, with disapproval of how E. Gadd talked.

I answered with a clever smile, "I like to call it...Gaddish."

"Gadd...ish?" she repeated.

"Yeah, it's something E. Gadd came up with to talk to others in a secret code and all that, but..." I laughed. "Now he finds it hard to _not_ talk in that language."

"Lioda dasa meqajorefacd, eh? (Quite the predicament, eh?)" E. Gadd said humorously.

"It sounds so...weird," Iris responded.

I laughed. "I know it does, at first anyway. It actually does translate from English pretty easily, but...it's a real challenge to pronounce things right. It took me a good month or two to fully understand him. The problem is, he keeps making up words to go along with it. It's...just..."

Gadd continued, "Wibd du evvun nui. (Just to annoy you.)"

"Yeah that seems about right," I laughed again.

"You understand that?" Ash asked, not convinced.

"Yep. It's not as hard as you think. Once you get a hold of the code decipher that explains how the language works, it's just like an advanced form of Pig Latin, or something like that."

"Apramd, (Except,)" E. Gadd stated proudly, "od duut dzacdn naeqb kavuq Bowser voyiqaj od uid. (it took twenty years before Bowser figured it out.)"

"What did he say?" asked Iris.

"Here," I told her, "I'll point the 3DS your way so you all can understand him." I turned it to face them. "Just read the text box."

When Cilan got the new view of the device, he instantly leaned in to see it closer. "A 3DS!?" He shouted with excitement. "That's what that is!?"

"Umm, yeah," I answered.

"I've only heard about these! I've never even seen one on T.V., let alone up-close!"

"Ohohoho!" E. Gadd said to Cilan. "Nui gota fen ocxac-douc? (You like my invention?)"

Cilan read the message and responded, "Why, yes! I can't believe such innovation is possible! It truly is remarkable how different it is from its predacessor!"

"Fen fen! (My my!)" Gadd replied. "Teetsay, bu firs tcuz-gek-ga xurekigeqn, du kuud! (Plus, so much knowlegable vocabulary, to boot!)"

"But, Cilan," I told him. "This 3DS is custom-made, so stuff like...well...this conversation, for example...wouldn't be possible with other 3DSes. Besides, its processing power is more than triple that of the Wii's." I leaned over to see E. Gadd. "E. Gadd," I began. "When do you think you can send that thing over?"

"Eb buuc eb O...(As soon as I...)" Gadd said as he leaned to the side, apparently reaching for something. "Hop-hoo! Suku suku, od-ob qae-jin, eckj...od bisui-gij ka dasaqa eckin barucj! (Success! And so, it is ready, and...it should be there any second!)"

"Okay, tha-" A repeating sound of _schwee-schwee-schwee_ interrupted me. I got up and carried the red 3DS with me, following the others, to see what the noise was.

To the right of the computer in the back-right corner behind Nurse Joy's desk, a metallic-gray, four-legged table had a hemispherical device sitting on top, which was colored in much of the same way as a Poké Ball. The device had four curved, gray legs to keep it balanced, with a black cord coming out from underneath. The cord went left and down, plugging into the outlet between the table and the computer. At its top-center, the device dipped inward in the shape of a smaller hemisphere, and at this time, the indentation glowed a bright white.

I went around the three and stepped forward. Still standing behind the counter, I looked closer. A cubical white object became evident inside the light. A moment later, the light blasted outward with dramatic presence, and then faded. Left behind was the object I desired, and seeing it, I opened the three foot mini-door and walked on through.

"What did he send you?" Iris asked.

"Well," I stated. "It's something that...hmm...that...is hard to describe, really. But it'll come in handy, for sure." I walked further and picked it up with my left hand, holding the 3DS in my right. "E. Gadd," I said as I turned to the 3DS. "Thanks. That was quick, even for you."

"Ho-oh! (Haha!)" he answered. Od zeb cudsocy, qaeggy. Od-_ob_ fen ocxac-douc, evdaq egg. (It was nothing, really. It _is_ my invention, after all.)"

"Oh, you invented a Poké Ball transporter?" I asked. "I...didn't know you ever made anything Pokémon related..."

"Awhawhawhaw!" he laughed. "Nee jojc'd dsoct O uc-gen zuq-taj oc voagb qagedocy, joj nui? Teetsay, nee tacuz, bufo gota fa zuigj yad kuqaj axacdieggn. (Ya didn't think I only worked in fields relating to the Mushroom World, did you? Plus, ya know, someone like me would get bored eventually.)"

"Hehe," I answered. "Right, I guess I just assumed you'd always stick with things I knew a lot about..."

"Come on," Iris moaned. "Why does he have to talk like that? He understands English, right?"

"Ehehe," I said, feeling nervous for E. Gadd's sake. "He just did so well with talking in that code that he couldn't stop." I turned to Gadd. "Uhh, E. Gadd, I'm gonna have to call you back sometime. We're...in a hurry."

"Din sidi. Oaf biqa nui zogg, fen-ka buucaq nui dsoct. (Okay. I'm sure you will, maybe sooner than you think.)"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Ohohoho, nuigg baa. (Hehehe, you'll see.)" He paused as I gave him a once again confused look. He finished with "Bomb-pa! (Goodbye!)" and cut the connection.

"Well that...hmm..." I paused. "3DS," I said, "_power down_." In two seconds flat, it turned off. I shut the 3DS and placed it in my right pocket. I then exited the area of behind the counter and closed the door behind me.

"I didn't know you knew Professor E. Gadd, Timothy," Cilan said with a hint of jealousy.

"Well," I told him, "it's not really that big of a deal."

"What? I would think you'd be thrilled to have met him!"

"I was - a lot. I was almost as excited to meet him as I was when I discovered the Mushroom World, especially since, by then, I knew he invented many more things than are shown in the games. But I guess I've been in the Mushroom World so much that things don't usually excite me like they used to."

"I see." Cilan paused, then continued. "What did he send you?"

I figured that I'd eventually end up showing the three anyway, so I opened my closed left hand, held it out for Cilan, Iris, and Ash to see, and said, "It's something that I carry around with me when traveling. And it can hold a lot more than you'd expect."

The item in question was an inch long on every side. It was a treasure chest, greatly resembling the treasure chests in the _Super Mario Galaxy_ series. It had an overall light brown coloring; dark brown rims and edges; a curved top; and a thick dark brown stripe going straight up the center of the chest, continuing up and over the top, and ending at the bottom of the chest's back side. On either side of the chest was a circular, dark gray, metallic handle. The only difference between its outer appearance and the appearance of treasure chests in _Super Mario Galaxy_ was its gold-colored lock. The lock itself wasn't a true lock, and instead could be snapped open by anyone and did not need a key. Aside from its lid, the chest was cubical.

Cilan immediately perked up. "Is that...a treasure chest from the Mario Galaxy series?"

My eyes widened and I raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, how did you know that?"

"Well," he stated proudly. "It just so happens that not only am I a Pokémon Connoisseur, but I am also a Video Game Connoisseur."

"Oh." I thought for a moment. "So, okay...that explains how you knew of E. Gadd's 'speech pattern,' and why you wanted to know more about what the Mushroom World was like."

"Mmhmm, exactly."

"What are you gonna do with that treasure chest?" Iris asked, not seeing its importance.

"It's actually not as complicated as I said it was," I answered, "-I don't think so, anyway. Here, I'll show you what it does."

I held out the mostly-wooden object with my left hand. I then curled my fingers inward, and immediately stretched them out to make my hand appear flat. The chest - since I willed it to happen - grew in size to nearly a foot long all around, accompanied by the sound _Brddwling-Brddwliing-Brddwliiing!_ - the same sound that is heard in most _Mario_ games when Mario or Luigi obtain a Super Mushroom. A small flash of red light also occurred.

Cilan, Iris, and Ash all gasped. "How...did you do that?" Cilan asked, obviously perplexed.

"I'll show you," I told him.

The front of the chest facing me, I reached with my right hand and snapped open the fold-over lock. It clicked, and the lid to the chest opened partially. I opened it fully, and as I did, an object popped out. It had a two-inch wide, cream-colored, hemispherical base, and a 4-inch wide, hemispherical, blue top, with three distinct white polka-dots - one one either side, and one at the top-middle of the item's front. At the front of its base, two tiny, skinny, mainly black vertical-sitting eyes with white pupils sat, essentially staring at me. It was a Mini Mushroom.

I held the power-up up and over top of the lid, and turned it 180 degrees to face the others. I then told them, "This is how the treasure chest was so small. This foot-wide size is actually the chest's normal size, but with this Mini Mushroom, it instantly becomes small enough to fit in my pocket."

The three momentarily stared in awe.

I continued, "And..." I put the Mushroom back inside and picked up an object from inside the chest. "This chest holds lots of handy items." I held up the object for them to see. At that moment, it was only a square inch in size, but when I willed it to grow, it grew with the same effect as with the chest. Another Mini Mushroom appeared and dropped into the chest. The object was a baseball cap which was entirely blue, except for the three-inch-wide white circle at the middle of its front. Inside the circle was a blue letter "T." I went ahead and put the hat on, telling the three that it was what I always wore when away from home.

I closed the chest and locked it with my right hand. Using my left hand's fingers and a simple thought, I shrunk the chest down to its previous size of around a square inch, accompanied by the sound of _dwii-dwiii-dwiiii!_ - the same sound that is heard when a Mini Mushroom is used in the _New Super Mario Bros._ series. A light-blue light accompanied the surrounding area of the object as it shrunk. I then placed the minimized treasure chest into my right pocket.

The Nintendo door opened and Nurse Joy walked back in, with Pikachu, Axew, and Snivy (in its Poké Ball) all sitting on the white tray as before. I turned around to face her.

"I'm happy to report that all three of your Pokémon are doing just fine," she stated. Joy placed the tray on the counter, and Pikachu and Axew hopped down to the counter, then the floor, and then up to their usual places of Ash's shoulder and Iris's hair.

"Oh," Nurse Joy said. "Where did that box of Poké Balls go?"

"Oh yeah," I answered. "It's over there." I then turned and walked to the booth I sat in earlier and picked up the box. I thought to myself, "Do I really need my treasure chest for carrying these?" I decided to see if the five of them would fit into my empty left pocket. One by one, I stuck them inside. Thanks to the Mini Mushroom-infused material in my shorts, they shrunk a little and fit with room to spare. As for the box itself, I took out the chest, un-minimized it as before, opened it, and placed the box inside. I then closed the chest, re-minimized it, and put it back into my right pocket. The usage of the treasure chest took place within five short seconds.

"Woah," Ash said as he walked toward me. "You sure don't take long to do that."

"I'd guess you've used that often," Cilan continued and caught up to Ash, as did Iris.

I nodded. "Yep. I always bring that treasure chest when I plan on being gone from home for a while. You wouldn't _believe_ how many times it's saved me."

"Saved you?" Ash asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Iris.

"Well," I said, "some things I have in it are...let's just say...helpful - in times of danger. But...let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

"Hmm," Cilan said with uncertainty. He straightened up and continued, assuredly saying, "Right, I'm sure you've experienced a lot in your travels. If you don't want to reveal what is in there, though, we understand."

"Right," I answered. "So...should we get going?"

They all nodded. "Yeah, let's go!" Iris said.

"It's finally time for you to start your journey!" Ash proclaimed.

I quickly went around them and grabbed Snivy's Poké Ball from the white tray, which sat on the counter. I then pressed the button, minimizing it, and put it in my left pocket. Nurse Joy wished the four of us luck as I turned around to face the others. "Thanks," I told her, looking back over my shoulder.

"What're you gonna do about that messed up shirt?" Iris asked.

"Oh yeah..." I said in return. "I...wait one second." I raced leftward, took another left, and went though the double doors. I went into the room we stayed in before, which was still unlocked. In a matter of less than 15 seconds, I got the treasure chest out, un-minimized it, put it down, took out another solid blue shirt from a compartment inside, un-minimized the shirt, changed into it, minimized the tattered one, put it away into the compartment, closed the chest, minimized it, and put it in my right pocket.

I ran back out and into the lobby. "Okay," I told them, "I'm ready."

Iris responded with, "What…where...did..."

"I have some extra clothes in that treasure chest to use," I answered.

"Oh. Well, I don't see why it has to be the same exact shirt as before," she said with a displeased tone.

"What?" I replied. "I like blue."

Cilan laughed. "Yeah, we've noticed."

"Should we get going, though?" I asked, hoping for a quick yes.

They all nodded, and Ash said, "Yeah, what're we waiting for!"

I passed the three up and they quickly caught up to me. We walked out the sliding glass doors of the Pokémon Center, with Ash to my left, Cilan to my right, and Iris to the right of him.

We headed straight, heading for the path I'd come from the day before. Thoughts of adventure and anticipation continually flew around in my head. Another thought quietly waited for the perfect moment to be made known, a thought which would eventually haunt me. I happily walked with the three toward the exit of the town, not having any idea of what this journey would entail.


	6. Chapter 5 - Road to Accumula Town

**Chapter 5: Road to Accumula Town**

The yellowish dirt path ran thinly from the Pokémon Center, and gradually more than doubled in width by the time we reached Nuvema Town's exit. The exit was the edge of the woods, the very same edge where I saw the overwhelming simplicity of the town the day before.

The widened road stared at me, and I stared back. Cilan then referred to the path as "Unova's 'Route 1.'"

I nodded and quietly continued forward. The route was silent with no evidence of being inhabited. I noticed for the first time that the leaves on the trees were changing; some were turning orange, others yellow, and others red.

Ash stopped me for a moment, laughed his "Ehahaha" laugh, and said, "Isn't this exciting?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," I answered. I didn't want to let on just how excited I truly was, which struck me as odd, since I no longer kept to myself as much as I used to. I had no idea why at the time.

We each stepped past the edge of the foliage simultaneously. We walked and talked, with Ash, Iris, and Cilan going further into what it meant to be a Trainer. At some point roughly an hour after we'd embarked on the trip, I was asked by Ash if I wanted to "try it out."

I asked what he meant, and he replied, "I mean that we can try battling!"

"Battling?" I answered. "Oh, but what about...well...our Pokémon's health? Shouldn't we battle closer to a Pokémon Center or something?"

"You're a fast learner," Cilan said. "But, in this case, it wouldn't be a truly _fierce_ battle. It'd be more of a..._test_ battle."

"Oh, well, hmm..." I thought for a moment and turned to the left to face Ash as we were walking. "If that would be safe to do, I guess." I then realized what he was really asking me. Ash was _challenging_ me to a battle. "Right," I said firmly, removing all doubt from my mind. "That's a great idea." I stopped walking.

Ash stopped as well, followed by Cilan and then Iris. Pikachu, sitting on Ash's shoulder, hopped off and onto the ground. "Pik-_aa_-chu!" it said with excitement.

"I'll referee if you like," Cilan said.

"Referee?" I answered and turned to him. "I...didn't know that was required."

"It isn't necessarily required," Cilan told me. "But in this case, with you being a new trainer, and with Snivy not having battled before, it'd be good for someone to be there to call off the match if it gets too intense."

"Oh." I paused, looked up, and then looked back down at Cilan. "Yeah, that makes sense." I turned to Ash. "Alright," I said, feeling competitive once more. "Let's do this."

Ash stood 20 feet from me. Iris sat on a convenient tree stump halfway between us and off to - from my point of view - the right side of the path, while Cilan stood between Ash and I on the left side.

Cilan looked at me, then Ash, and back to me, while saying, "Alright, now...You two ready?"

I nodded, and Ash tightened his fist. "Yeah!" he shouted. "We're ready!"

I laughed nervously. "Ash, don't expect too much."

Cilan laughed and said, "Well, at least you're not _over_-confident."

Iris then made a comment about Ash's "kid-like battling instincts," making me smile.

Ash ignored Iris and told his Pikachu, who stood next to him, to get ready. Pikachu ran out in front and prepared itself for battle, doing so with a simple statement of "Pika-pi-_kaa_-chu!"

"Okay, now, Timothy," Cilan said. "Go on and bring out Snivy."

I reached into my left pocket and selected a Poké Ball. I lifted it out and looked at it intently. I threw it up into the air, excitedly waiting for Snivy to appear so I could begin my first Pokémon battle.

But...nothing happened! It landed back in the same hand that threw it, appearing to be completely useless.

"Uhh," I said, putting my left, Poké Ball-holding hand behind my head. "I...don't actually know which Poké Ball's which."

Iris moaned. "How could you not know which one is Snivy's?"

"Well to be fair," Cilan answered, managing to hold back his laughter. "They all _do_ look alike." He turned to me. "But, once you've been a trainer for a while, it usually becomes an instinct."

"An instinct?" I replied. "You mean like...I'll just _know_ which one is Snivy's?"

"Basically, yes - as well as what other Pokémon you may catch."

I began to ask exactly who it was that created Poké Balls in the first place (as I had a sneaking suspicion as to who it might be), but, seeing Ash's still-fired-up pose, I decided to wait. I put my hand back down and swapped the Poké Ball for another.

"Then...maybe this one?" I said as I threw it upward.

Once again, nothing. I caught it and glimpsed Iris rolling her eyes.

"Eheh," Ash said. "Maybe you should give him a break, Iris. He is new to this ya know."

"Hmm," she responded. "I guess you're right."

"Well," I said apologetically, and then switched the Poké Ball out for yet another one. I threw it upward, unsurely saying, "Third time's the charm?"

The ball opened mid-air and let out a liquid-like white light, accompanied by the same _Kuffff-ssseeeooww-shwwoyyy-pshh!_ sound as when Professor Juniper called a Pokémon out. The light soon faded and left Snivy standing a few feet in front of me. I barely managed to catch the ball at that moment, due to my surprise of finally picking the right one. I then pressed the button - minimizing it - and then placed it in my _right_ pocket, making sure that I'd know which one was Snivy's and which ones were empty.

"Heh, whadya know?" I said, thinking of the phrase I used. "It worked."

"Snivy-snivy?" A voice said from below. Snivy was turned to me but was pointing with its right arm to Pikachu.

"Uhh," I said plainly. "I...I'm not sure what you're asking. If it's even a question, that is."

"I think Snivy is asking if it's about to battle Pikachu," Cilan said.

"Oh. Is that...true, Snivy?"

Snivy turned about-face, back to Pikachu. It proclaimed, in a rather loud tone, "Sni-vy Sni-vy!"

"Woah." I said. "Well, someone's ready to go..."

"I suggest that you check Snivy's moves with your Pokédex," Cilan stated.

"I can do that? Oh, wait..." I thought momentarily of E. Gadd's numerous inventions. "Yeah, I guess that technology shouldn't surprise me. Okay, I'll try it."

I pulled out the device from my right pocket and held it at chest level. "So...now what do I do?"

"Simply point the Pokédex at Snivy and press the button on the Poké Ball symbol below," Cilan answered, "just as if it were a regular Poké Ball and you were changing its size."

"Oh, I see." I did as he said, and sure enough, on the screen above the symbol appeared a list of Snivy's moves and their types right next to their names. The only moves it knew were Normal-type, and the Normal type's name itself on the list was boxed in a small rectangle of light gray. The moves Snivy knew were as follows: "Tackle" and "Leer."

"Okay, so...I get what Tackle is, but...I'm not sure what Leer is..."

Snivy sighed, saying, "Sni-sni-vy..."

"Eheh," I nervously said to Snivy. "You're gonna have to give me some time to get used to all this."

It sighed once more, leading Cilan to say, "Well, it appears Snivy...might not like that. But...to answer your question, Leer is a move that lowers the opponent's Defense - its Physical Defense, that is. Moves like Tackle will do a little more damage after it is used than it would without, but moves like Thunderbolt would do the normal amount of damage, since those are Special Attacking moves."

"Oh. I didn't know this could get so...complicated."

"It is, but you shouldn't have to worry about that right now. This is only your first battle after all, and even then, a lot of this is learned through experience."

"Cilan's right," Ash spoke up. "But...even though I didn't understand all that Cilan said, I do know that you don't need to know all of that to be good at battles."

"Yeah," I answered. "I didn't think so. But still..." I paused, looking down at Snivy. "When we get to Accumula Town, I think I'd like to do some research on all this."

"Sounds like a good idea," Cilan said.

"Should we start?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's go!" Ash shouted.

"Right." I began thinking back to what little I saw in the anime and in the small amount of time I spent playing _Pokémon: Blue Version_. One fact always stood out as undisputed: in order for the Pokémon to attack, you must call out a move for it to use.

"Okay, you ready, Ash?"

"Yeah, we're ready!" he answered, followed by Pikachu, which happily stated, "Pi-_kaa_-chu!"

"Alright, me too."

"Then, begin!" Cilan proclaimed, raised an arm, and then lowered it quickly.

"Right," I replied.

I remained silent for a moment, maybe two, maybe three. I don't know. Here I was, someone who tried and rejected anything Pokémon-related all his life. And now I took part in it, in the actual world, in the world that the games and anime were based off of, in everything I never thought I could spend my free time on. I not only acknowledged the world's importance, but was now contributing to its unique, home-grown concept. Quite literally, and quite impossibly, I'd become a Trainer.

A wave of unrelenting stimulation came over me. "Snivy!" I called out, even though it stood only a few feet from me. I drew my left arm in and over to my right arm, and then pointed it to Pikachu. "Use Leer!"

Snivy closed its eyes while it was still facing in Pikachu's direction. It then opened them, and out shot two red figures of light, shaped in the same way as Snivy's nearly cresent-shaped eyes. The two lights hit Pikachu with remarkable speed and accuracy, covering it in a red glow.

Pikachu flinched for a moment as it received the effect. The redness faded, and Ash then called out, "Okay, Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu quickly stated, "Pikaaaa..." and rushed forward at a tremendous pace; a white trail of light followed closely behind it as it dashed across the dirt of the path, as did bits of yellow dust. It kept repeating "Pi-pi-pi-pi" as it ran.

Snivy darted straight ahead. "Wait! Snivy!" I yelled. "I didn't say to go!"

It heard me, yet continued. Snivy and Pikachu headed directly for each other, neither one willing to give in to the other's attack. At the last second, Snivy jumped up and over Pikachu, swiftly dodging the move. Small bits of dust followed Snivy's jump, almost getting into Pikachu's eyes. Snivy landed, slid a few feet, and then turned 180 degrees instantly. It paused, observing the situation.

Pikachu stopped moving and turned around as well, ending the white light and the move it was using. "Pika?" it said in response to Snivy's action.

"That Snivy sure is fast," Cilan said.

"Yeah," Iris said with concern. "But...Timothy didn't say for it to dodge or anything..."

"Hmm," I said, holding my chin with my left hand. "It used Leer when I said to, so...maybe..." I straigtened up. "Okay, Snivy!" I called out. "Use Tackle!"

Snivy raced toward Pikachu, which stood around five feet from me. Snivy tilted its head in downward and to the left as it ran, putting all its power and strength into the side of its head. Before Pikachu ever got the chance to dodge or do anything to defend itself, Snivy rammed into it with considerable force, causing Pikachu to be launched toward me.

I jumped up and to the right, barely dodging Pikachu's flung self. The yellow mouse landed and slid momentarily, and when it stopped sliding, it got up.

"Woah," I said, still grasping what I'd seen. "That's some speed...and power, too."

"I don't think I've ever _seen_ a Snivy move that quickly," Cilan mentioned. "Not one that just started out, that is."

"Eruuah," Ash grunted. "Looks like that Snivy is tougher than I thought...Pikachu!" He lunged his arm out to give the order. "Use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu's tail lit up with a stunning white light. It ran a bit and then jumped up above Snivy. Pikachu rotated 360 degrees horizontally and flung its tail outward as it did. It then did a half front-flip and positioned its glowing tail to be curved out in front of it.

"Iron Tail?" I responded. "Uhh, quick, Snivy! Do-"

Snivy jumped away before I could say to dodge. Pikachu's tail slammed the ground with impressive force, so much so that I could practically feel the ground shake. The light dimmed and dissappeared within a second or two.

"Okay, Snivy! Use Tackle again!"

It darted forward, and since it was only a few feet from Pikachu, it happened faster than I could perceive. Pikachu was launched once more, and this time, it took a bit longer to get back up.

"Yes!" I found myself fist pumping the air. "This is...so exciting," I thought out loud. "Alright!" I called out to Snivy. "Tackle, once more!"

Snivy darted forward and, instead of ramming Pikachu as before, it jumped up and nearly appeared to hover for a moment. Snivy then flipped itself around to where its tail curved up to its head, and it said, "Sni...vyyy!" Its tail smashed into Pikachu with an almost terrifying presence.

"I think that was Slam!" Cilan stated, surprised.

"Slam?" I answered. "Like...a move called 'Slam?'"

"Yes, exactly."

I pulled the Pokédex out and checked by pressing the button. Indeed, below the previous list of _Tackle_ and _Leer_ was a move labeled as "New!" which read "Slam." It was a Normal-type attack, just like the other two moves.

"Woah!" I said to Snivy. "You learned Slam, just like that?"

Dust cleared and revealed Pikachu to still appear ready for battle; Snivy promptly hopped off and away from it. It looked at me with a hint of disapproval, and said, "Snnni-vy, Sni-vy..."

"Yeesh, what's your problem?"

"Sni-sni vy vy _sni_-vy!"

"Umm, heh, sorry Snivy, but that don't do me any good. I don't have a clue what you mean."

"I think, if I had to guess..." Cilan said. "I don't think Snivy approves of your...lack of experience."

I laughed. "Heh, thanks for putting it gently." I looked down at Snivy. "Snivy...look, you're just gonna have to get used to that. And plus, like I said earlier, I'm gonna look into all this later. I'm sure a little research and a little more practice will get me to a point where I know what I'm doing. Just please, be patient, if you can."

It folded its arms, closed its eyes, shook its head, and said with an attitude, "Snivy...sni sni _sni_-vy."

"Ehehe," I replied. "I guess that's not good enough." Eyes closed, I paused. "Well, whatever, we're winning this so far, so-"

It cut me off, saying, "_Snivy-sni-sni-vy_!"

"What now?" I folded my arms as well.

Iris laughed nervously. "It doesn't look like Snivy's too happy with you."

"How about we just get back to our battle, Snivy?" I asked.

"Sni-vy, snivy..." It answered with an uncaring tone. It then shrugged and held out its arms on either side of it.

"I don't get it. You battled really hard earlier, and now you don't seem to care? Hmm...well, no matter. Snivy!" I pointed over to Pikachu, which had already run back over to where Ash was. "Use Tackle!"

It dashed right on cue toward Pikachu. Ash then shouted, "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" and pointed his arm upward.

Pikachu yelled "Pikaaa...CHUUUU!" and fired a beam of pure, golden-yellow electricity, exactly like the beam which had scared Umbreon and Espeon away the day before.

I reacted by saying, "Snivy! Dodge it with Slam!"

Snivy jumped, but it was too late. The thunderous attack hit its mark dead-on, entirely engulfing Snivy in an electric aura.

Snivy landed soon after being blown back a bit from the attack. Ash told Pikachu to stop, and the outpouring of energy ceased. Once the tail-end of the beam reached Snivy and did its damage, Snivy was left standing in the same place. Sparks of electricity rushed along the outside of it, and within a few moments, the sparks ended. Snivy immediately fell to the ground.

"Snivy!" I said as I ran to it. I knelt down beside it. I continued, saying, "Sni-" but stopped and gasped shortly. I saw Snivy using its arms to try and push itself back up. "Snivy, wait. Don't - you've done enough."

It gave me a hateful yet desperate look. "Sni...vy!" it told me. I knew instantly that Snivy wanted to continue.

"No, Snivy." I put my left hand on its head and petted it gently. "You fought really hard, and you even learned a move in your first battle. That's incredible all on its own. Please, Snivy. Take a break."

Ash, Cilan, and Iris all came over to meet us.

"That was an excellent first battle," Cilan said.

"Thanks," I answered. "I...really don't know how I did it."

"Well, for one thing," Iris said. "Snivy did some of the thinking for you."

"Yeah," I laughed. "I guess Snivy was just doing its own thing, which I understand."

"You still did great," Ash added. "You acted like you'd done this a bunch of times before." Pikachu came over from beside Ash and agreed, saying, "Pika-pika-chu!"

"Well...I don't know about-" A blur of red swooped in from my left and snatched Snivy up from under my hand, followed by another red blur which snatched Pikachu from the same direction; both of them were swiftly drawn into the foliage. I stood up, looked leftward, and saw a large cream-colored figure rising up out of the color-changing trees. It was Team Rocket's Meowth balloon. Standing in its basket was the two human members, with Meowth standing firmly on the edge.

"Team Rocket!" Ash, Iris, and Cilan said simultaneously.

"You three again?" I said, somewhat amused. "I thought you would've given up, with what happened last time and all."

"What a question, twerpish indeed!" Jessie proclaimed.

"The answer to come, when _we_ feel the need!" James exclaimed.

The two of them jumped down from the balloon and landed promptly on the ground, just outside of the edge of the foliage.

I raised an eyebrow and listened.

"Bringing the blinding white light of evil into the future!" Jessie proudly stated.

"Thrusting the hammer of justice onto the black darkness of the universe!" James continued.

Meowth lowered the balloon down to where the four of us would later be walking to. He let it land, and then hopped off and join the other two. He shouted out as he landed, "Carving our names into the rock of eternity!"

"The fiery destroyer, Jessie!"

"And with thunderous emotion, I am James!"

"Wisest of the wise, I'm Meowth!"

All at once, the three exclaimed, "Now gather, under the name of Team Rocket!"

Their Wobbuffet popped out in front of the three and said its name stupidly, yet with pride.

"Get back inside!" Jessie said, and returned it to its Poké Ball. She then threw the ball behind her and into the balloon's basket.

"What...speech was that?" I asked, then folded my arms.

"That," James answered, "was the motto we happily recite here in Unova."

"Happily? You mean...you actually enjoy looking ridiculous?"

"Hey, when you insult one of us, you insult us all!"

"Yeah...that was my point."

"Well, this time," Jessie smirked, "we've come prepared."

Ash cut in and said, "Where's Pikachu and Snivy!?"

"Right 'ere!" Meowth answered with his New York accent. He then revealed a remote control he was holding; it resembled the one from before, yet was a little more complicated, having more buttons than the plain red one. He pressed a button and smiled wickedly.

Mechanical arms rose up from the trees and retracted to be hovering in front of and above the balloon. The arms were metallic gray, while the hands were solid red. In the leftward hand was Snivy, while the rightward one held Pikachu. The arms, as I was then able to see, protruded from behind the basket of the balloon.

"Okay, Team Rocket," I said, arms still folded. "You've had your fun. Now hand them back over." I held up my left hand to threaten usage of my fire ability.

"Eyhahahaha!" Meowth kackled. "Your little fireballs won't do you any good!" He proudly put a paw on his chest, closed his eyes, and tilted his head upward. "You see, I made extra certain that those attacks won't work on what's holding Pikachu and Snivy.

"We'll handle this!" Cilan told me.

"No," I answered, looking down. My hat shaded my eyes from view. "They need to realize what they're up against." I looked up at the trio, causing the sun to reveal me in its glow.

"Listen," I began. "Team Rocket - Jessie, James, and Meowth. I hate to say this, but...as long as I'm around, you're wasting your time. If you think protecting yourselves from fire alone is enough to stop me from stopping you, you're sorely mistaken." I lit up my hand with flames. "From now on, let's be clear about something. You do _not_ mess with any of my friends or their Pokémon, or my Pokémon, for that matter. You can mess with me all you want, but mark my words: Any time you do anything to anyone - even those that I am merely allies with and nothing more - I will take you down. And...even then...if I'm not able to stop you, look around. Iris and Cilan are used to your gimmicks by now, and Ash...he's known you for like...what...four years?"

"Five," Ash stated, then laughed nervously, obviously annoyed by the thieving trio.

"Okay, five. But still, that means that, after all your contraptions - and I assume you've made more than just mechanical arms, right? But out of all of your plans, your attempts, your mishaps, failures, try-agains, re-try-agains, and so-on...You still think you have a shot with them? You honestly believe that you stand a chance? And then I show up, you blast off without even any Pokémon interference, and you come back, hoping to succeed since you've guarded against fire. But..." I paused, taking a breath. I smiled at them, confident in every way imaginable. "You have no clue, do you?"

"No clue about what?" Jessie said. "You're talking way too much, that much I know."

"Perhaps, but...you three..." I laughed, knowing what I was about to say was probably correct. "You three actually thought that I won the SBL tournament with fire alone?"

"Well...yeah, kinda..." Meowth said, feeling uneasy.

"Well, then...I guess I don't have a choice. Snivy!" I called out to it. "Use Leer on Meowth!"

Snivy's eyes glowed red, and then the attack fired. A direct hit. At that moment, the _Kanto Trainer Battle_ theme from _Pokémon: HeartGold_ version could be heard.

I looked up at the sky in sheer excitement. "Wait! You all...this world has music, too!" I looked at the trees and thought momentarily to try and guess the theme. "Wait...it almost sounds like...when you face a trainer in 'Blue' version. Wow, I can't believe I remember that!" I looked back up at the sky and began tapping my feet on the ground. The tune was starting to be catchy. "Kalmar, nice choice!"

"Who's 'Kalmar?'" James asked, looking up to attempt to figure it out.

"Nothing you three need to know about," I answered. I then said to Ash - who stood between Team Rocket and I, and Cilan - who stood to the left of Ash, "Ash, Cilan...please, step aside."

They quietly nodded and stepped to my left.

"What're you gonna do?" Iris asked.

"I'm gonna make sure Team Rocket realizes what they're dealing with - which also means that I'm getting Pikachu and Snivy back." I looked back at the villainous trio. "Count on it."

"Well if you're going to do something, do something!" Jessie scolded. She then smiled with evil confidence, feeling as if she knew I couldn't do anything.

"Okay," I said passively. "If you insist. Meowth..." I looked at him with a fearsomely focused look. "You'd better prepare yourself."

I dashed forward at close to my top speed, which was still faster than Snivy and Pikachu were when they battled. Without warning, I swiftly grabbed Meowth by the scruff of his neck and threw him upward a good ten feet. He front-flipped around a few times due to the way I'd thrown him. Before James or Jessie had a chance to react, I jumped up to meet him.

"Ahh! What're you doin'?" he shouted when he saw me.

I answered with a left-handed punch across the left side of his face, then a right-handed punch on the other side, followed by a left uppercut, a right uppercut, performed a back-flip while kicking him, held my hands above my head, and smacked him straight down with both hands folded. The cream-colored cat landed directly where he was standing before with a painful _thud_. I soon landed directly in between him and the other two.

"What?" Jessie said, sounding betrayed. "Meowth!" she said while leaning around me. "Front and center!"

I turned around to see Meowth's response.

Meowth lifted himself up partially and raised a paw. Eyes closed, he said, "Yeah, I'll have some fries with those burgers," and fell face down.

I couldn't help but laugh. I then turned to face Jessie and James.

"What did you do to him?" James yelled.

"Look," I said to the both of them as the music faded. "First of all, Meowth's gonna be fine. Believe me, if I wanted to really hurt him, I would have. But even then, what I did to him is your fault. You paraded out here like no one could stop you. But I just wanted to make something clear. Like I said earlier..." I leaned in. "Don't mess with anyone I'm friends with, or what happened to Meowth will happen to you."

"What are you," Jessie said with a sword-like voice, "some kind of vigilante!?"

"No. Just someone who doesn't take kindly to people who are so stupidly arrogant with their evil antics."

Jessie pulled a Poké Ball out of her pocket. "Alright," she said and held it up, ready to throw it. "I've had enough of this!"

James pulled one out as well, and formed the same pose.

"Woobat!" Jessie called out.

"Yamask!" James stated firmly.

"As much as I'd love to see what those Pokemon are," I said to them. "I don't really have time for this." I then grabbed the Poké Balls they were holding, simultaneously minimized them with their respective buttons, and threw them into the balloon's basket.

"Wha-hey!" Jessie yelled.

"You asked for it by coming here again." I said bluntly. "And..." I turned, reached down, grabbed Meowth, and jumped over them. "You'd better give this Meowth some rest. He'll be fine, I assure you, but still." I leaned over the basket and placed Meowth inside gently. Wobbuffet blasted out of its Poké Ball and greeted me, saying, "Waaahhhh-bufff-ett!"

"Heh, there's something amusing about that thing," I said to myself.

"Now hold on!" James protested. "You can't just-"

"I can, and I will." I paused, turned to James, looked downward for a moment, and then glanced back up at him. "Mario always told me to try and only do what I had to to stop people like you. But...I've always felt differently."

"Oh yeah?" he said with a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah," I replied hastily. "I've met many different 'bad guys' in my travels through the Mushroom World, and every one of them have the same attitude. They never feel at a disadvantage; they're never afraid of me until they see what I can do; and they always seem to come back for a rematch, as if they expect different results."

Their faces were blank; they were still processing what I was saying.

I went on. "And then there's the real problem: they don't change. I've tried in the past to be 'nice' to them and give them a chance. I really have. I've given you three a second chance, and look what you've done. You've threatened the well-being of the Snivy that I just got, and Pikachu, who you've been after for years. You could have easily backed out of it all, but no. You stuck with the typical way of doing things that almost all bad guys do, and it sickens me. I can't _stand_ to see innocent people and...at this point, Pokémon...be put in danger by the likes of your type."

"Who do you think we are!?" Jessie exclaimed.

"Common criminals?" James continued.

"No, you have too much stuff for that. You are actually just plain arrogant, ignorant, and, especially, idiotic."

"Wha...I beg to differ!" James shouted.

I caught a glimpse of Ash and the others. Their faces showed a strong expression of puzzlement and, at the same time, fear. I turned to face the balloon and looked up and left to Snivy, and then up and right to Pikachu.

I immediately lunged up to the hand holding Snivy and swiftly punched the arm of the machine. I put what I figured to be the necessary amount of force into it, and it sliced open with ease. Scraps and bits of metal flew in all directions. Mirroring what had happened only a few short minutes before I'd obtained Snivy, I turned, dove, and caught it.

"What?" Jessie yelled. "That...but that's as hard as steel!"

"Actually," a raspy voice came from behind. It was Meowth, who was holding himself up on the edge of the basket. Even though he was physically exhausted, he kept true to his accent. "I...didn't put much of our...budget into the arms' sturdiness. I just...kinda figured all we...had to worry about...was...that twerp's fire pow-ahs."

Jessie growled, long and visciously. "You...I'll give you something to worry about!"

I placed Snivy on the ground and made my move. I ran and jumped to the arm Pikachu was held captive with, and proceeded to smash its arm as before. Once more, I rotated instantly, lunged at Pikachu, and saved it from the fall.

"Wait! Jess! Look!" James said to her with haste. "He's got Pikachu!"

I told Snivy to go back to the others, and then told Pikachu to do the same. Pikachu ran to Ash, but Snivy didn't go anywhere; it gazed up at me instead.

"Go on," I told it. "Snivy, go on. I'll handle it from here."

Snivy said, "Sni...vy..." and paused. It then reluctantly ran and stood next to Pikachu. I quickly fast-walked and positioned myself between the two and my allies.

"You might want to go get your Pokémon," I told the two. "They could get lonely being with Meowth and the stratosphere."

"You...you wouldn't!" James said with sarcastic fear.

"No sarcasm needed, James." I answered. "It's not a joke." I smiled with the knowledge of what was coming next, and then lifted my left hand and snapped my fingers. My hand burst into flames.

"Now..." I said as I looked down at the crackling glow, and then focused my vision on the two."You may have prepared those 'arms' of yours for fire and all, but...tell me: What does hot air do?"

"It rises," Jessie answered with a voice like razors. "Duh!"

James rushed to the balloon and hysterically hopped in while Jessie said this. "Jessie, hurry and get in!" he commanded with frantic force.

"Don't tell me you're fooled by this!" she said sharply over her shoulder. "He's obviously bluffing!"

"I don't bluff," I said, somewhat offended.

James, distraught even further, got out of the basket, grabbed Jessie by the back of her shirt with both hands, and threw her in.

"Gyyaaaah!" she yelled as she landed. "James!" she scolded at a volume with which she knew everyone would hear. "What're you doing!?"

"Saving us," he replied bravely and jumped back in.

"Well, at least James gets it," I said passively, while holding back the humor of the moment. I circled my right hand around the fire of my left, increasing the flame's intensity and size slightly; it became a little louder than before.

"Well, Team Rocket," I said, happy to begin the sentence. "Jessie was right about hot air rising - she couldn't have been more right."

James flinched. "Uhh-aahh...No, not that!" he begged and held out his hands which were folded together.

I drew my hands in to my left side, and thrusted them forward with both hands open. A blazing, unrelenting, wickedly-dancing fireball crashed into their balloon, and in seconds, the whole balloon went up in flames. Taking pride out of the equation, the two snatched their Poké Balls up in the small window of time.

Out of the inferno and deep gray smoke, a terrifying sound abruptly blasted the area. Pokémon which looked and sounded like doves flew up from trees which were not seeable from the road, and fled away from the excitement. Two red and white figures; one small, light tan figure; and one light-blue blob of a figure rocketed out into the distance, angled to the right and away from where I was. The trio shouted, "We're blasting off again!?" and the blue blob followed this up with "Waaaaahhhh-buff-et!" They were gone in merely a few seconds.

Smoke cleared gradually as the sound of burning scraps and things of the balloon died down. Once everything seemed stable, I ended the burning flame around my left hand. I then clasped my right hand on the rim of my hat and straightened it out.

"What...was that about?" Iris asked hesitantly.

I turned and faced them, and saw that they all were concerned. "Oh..." I said blankly. "Eheh..." I put my hand behind my head and continued, "Sorry, sometimes I get carried away with people like those three." I lowered my hand back down to my side. "But...they completely deserved it."

"I don't think Meowth deserved _that_ though," Ash said.

"True," Cilan said. "You did go a bit far."

"Wha-" I shook my head momentarily. "It would've been the same if you'd used your own Pokémon. What's the difference?"

"It just doesn't seem right," Ash answered.

"It just...isn't natural," said Iris.

"But..." I said in disbelief. "I...don't get it. What does it matter, who or what stops those three?"

"It...just..." Cilan said and paused, seeming to regret letting me step in earlier. "Even though I'm a major Smash Bros. fan...A Pokémon fighting a Pokémon is one thing, but...a _person_ fighting a Pokémon...I...don't know..."

Pikachu stepped forward. "Pika...pika-chu," it said sadly, agreeing with Cilan and the others.

Cilan and Iris folded their arms in disapproval.

I immediately felt their contempt. "Well...but...I..."

"Sni-sni-_sni_-vy!" Snivy said boldly and rushed to stand between the four and I. It held its short, slim arms out perpendicular to itself and continued. "Sni-sni vy vy _sni_-vy!"

Ash, Iris, and Cilan each halted their accusations in surprise. Pikachu said "Pi...ka?" and listened, shocked at Snivy's response.

"Sni-vy, vy vy snivy!" Snivy made hand-and-arm gestures throughout its statement, pointing from me, to where Team Rocket had been, to Ash and the others, and to Pikachu, in a seemingly-random yet clearly pre-planned order. "Sni-sni vy, vy vy sni-_sni_ vy, sni sni vy-vy-vy sni-sni-vy vy sni-vy! Vy vy sni-sni, vy vy vy sni-vy!" Its speech ended with it holding its arms out perpendicularly once more, and then it folded them together.

"Woah, Snivy..." I said, and was unable to think of what else to say.

"What's gotten into Snivy?" Ash asked.

"It seems...different somehow," Iris continued.

"It's almost as if..." Cilan said, unsure of if he was correct. "As if...well...I think Snivy might be...agreeing with Timothy on this."

"That's true, isn't it, Snivy?" I asked, already feeling that it was true, even before Cilan said so.

Snivy nodded firmly and stated, "Sni-vy sni vy."

"Somehow..." Cilan said, perplexed. "Somehow...I think Snivy really is okay with what happened."

"It's because," I stated. "Snivy understands that I saved it and Pikachu, and that Team Rocket's Meowth probably deserved what it got. Although..." I paused. "I probably should've gone for James instead. I can tell Meowth is the brains of the operation as far as machinery goes, but...I should've known how you all would react."

"Come to think of it," Iris spoke up. "You _did_ save them, and those three _are_ a real pain to deal with."

"She's right," Ash said, stepped forward, and held out his hand. "Sorry about all that. I should be happy that you saved Pikachu." Pikachu then said, with a regretful tone, "Pika...chu."

"It's fine," I answered and shook his hand. "I'm just glad those three didn't...make me..."

"Make you do what?"

"Uhh...never mind." I removed my hand from Ash's and looked around to Cilan and Iris, switching from those two to Ash and then to Pikachu, and occasionally Snivy. "Listen, all of you. I...hmm...uhh...tell ya what: the next time those three come back, if they do - and I'm sure they will, but...next time, I'll let you handle them with your own Pokémon. In fact..." I looked at Snivy. "I might even use Snivy to help us. After all, even though those three don't have a chance against _your_ Pokémon, it'll give Snivy a chance to practice its moves and all. And...maybe...even learn a new one?"

Cilan laughed. "I suppose that could happen again soon, but don't expect too much."

"Yeah, I know." I felt the three's tension from before to have disappeared entirely, so I went on, still looking at my Pokémon. "Snivy...from now on, do you think...maybe you could trust me more?"

Snivy, with its arms still folded, turned to the side, and said, "Sni-vy Sni...vy."

"Eheh, I'll take that as a 'we'll see.' Right?"

Snivy nodded.

"Heh, thought so. So..." I looked up at the others. "Should we get going?"

"Good idea," Cilan said. "It'd be good for us to get going as soon as possible."

"We can tell someone at the next Pokémon Center about the mess, if we need to."

"Right," Cilan said.

"Snivy," I said, reached into my pocket, and pulled out its Poké Ball. "Return, for now." The red laser shot out and encased Snivy in its glow. A few seconds later, Snivy was safely inside. I placed the ball back in my right pocket, and out of the same pocket, I lifted my 3DS out.

"Let me just check something real quick," I told them.

I flipped it open and waited two short seconds for it to turn on. I then said to it, "3DS, _locate Accumula Town_."

A Google Maps-esque view of the surrounding area came up. Accumula Town was highlighted in blue, whereas my current location was a red, blinking dot.

"Okay," I stated. "It looks like...Acumula Town is...only...ten minutes away? That can't be right. Cilan said it was a day's trip from Nuvema Town. But...then again..."

"You have a map built into your 3DS?" Cilan asked.

"Yeah. If there's a radio tower nearby, like the one in Nuvema Town, I can access all sorts of stuff. Even then, if there isn't one, I...oh man..."

"What is it?" Iris asked, concerned.

"I can't believe...I..." I busted out in laughter. "Hahahaaaa! Wow, how could I have been so stupid!"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh man, that's gotta be the dumbest thing I done since...I don't even know when. Sorry 'bout that. See, this 3DS can access the internet even without a radio tower. E. Gadd has special satellites set up around literally every single-planet Nintendo World, which includes the Pokémon World."

"Single...planet?" Ash asked.

"Oh, right, you probably don't know. Certain Nintendo Worlds are more of a galaxy than a world. Like what's found in Star Fox games, for example. But...back to Accumula Town...Cilan?" I faced him. "I thought you said we were a day away? My 3DS says it's just ten minutes from here."

"Hmm, well Cilan never was one for giving good directions," Iris said.

"Eheh, no one's perfect," Cilan said, visibly embarrassed.

"Yeah, that's true," I said. "But, I guess it doesn't matter."

"Right," Ash spoke up. "All that matters now is that we get to the next town now so that we can get to Striaton City sooner!"

"Exactly," I answered. "Let's go, then!"

They all agreed without hesitation. I closed the 3DS and placed it back into my pocket.

We walked for a bit, and soon came upon clearing and a short hill. After the hill followed a view of multiple buildings of varying colors, from the typical white, to the rare and noticable pink. A quick glance at the town, and I could already make out a red-roofed building - the Pokémon Center. It was the only red-roofed one in the whole town, which I figured was done purposefully for the sake of travelers.

I quickly checked my 3DS; just over ten minutes had passed.

We made our way to the Center and walked inside. "Finally, we're here!" I shouted, and then held back my tongue.

I didn't mean to shout.


	7. Chapter 6 - Cornered

**Chapter 6: Cornered**

"Oh my!" a voice said from straight ahead.

"Oh," I responded, "my bad Nurse Joy. I didn't mean-wait!" I stepped forward with haste to get a closer view. "You...you're...but how?"

Behind a counter not unlike the one in Nuvema Town stood an exact replica of Nurse Joy. The nurse's outfit; the pink, looped-near-her-ears hair; and even her face matched Nurse Joy perfectly. The only difference was the cross on her hat, which was dark purple instead of the previous blue.

"You're...Nurse Joy! But...I...we were just _in_ Nuvema Town earlier today!"

"Oh, I see." She giggled. "You're talking about my cousin, aren't you?"

"Your...cousin?" My eyes widened.

"Here, let me show you."

I stepped closer as she bent down to grab something from under the counter.

She came back up soon and held out a picture which was framed in pink. "See? These are all of my relatives from Unova."

I couldn't believe what I saw. It was a full portrait of over a dozen women dressed in the same Nurse Joy outfit. Each had the same hair coloring and style, and most peculiarly, they were all _exactly alike_ in every way. Face, eye color, sitting position...even their heights were identical.

"The Nurse Joy you met in Nuvema Town was _Natalie_ Joy, my cousin. My name is _Anna_ Joy."

"O...kay..."

"You'll get used to it," said Cilan, who strode up next to me.

"But...Cilan...that...that's just..." I looked down at the floor, deep in thought. "Boy," I thought aloud. "Mario would have a field day with this." -His doctoring instincts would be put to the test. I'd never heard of such a genetic matchup with a person's looks. I paused, glanced up at Nurse Joy, and asked, "Are...there any rooms available?"

"There sure are," she answered with a smile. "Would you like the first floor or the second?"

"Huh? This is a two-story building?"

"It is," Cilan said. "The Pokémon Center we stayed at in Nuvema Town was one of the smaller ones."

"Yeah," Ash spoke up, having walked to my left-hand side, the opposite of Cilan. "I don't think I've seen a Pokémon Center that was that small before."

"Oh," I said blankly. "I...okay, then...Nurse Joy, uhh..." I glanced to my left and my right, while asking, "What floor do you all want?"

"It doesn't matter," Cilan answered.

"Either way's fine with me," Iris said from behind. Her Axew popped up and happily agreed, saying, "Axew-yew!"

"In that case...We'll take the second floor, then."

"Alright," Joy said and reached down under the counter. "Here you go." She came back up and handed me a card key. "Your room number is 209."

"Okay, thank you."

Ash, Cilan, and Iris all thanked her as well.

I then asked Joy if she'd check up on my Snivy and see if it was healthy. She agreed to, and so I handed her Snivy's Poké Ball. It only took around an hour for Snivy to have been checked up.

I contacted my parents that evening and told them my plans. They were okay with the idea, but as usual, they insisted that I send them a typed account of what I'd done every week. If anything, their main reason for allowing me to go on with this "journey" was likely that they knew it would pose new challenges and more opportunities for me to grow. Plus, as my mom put it, it was "a healthy change of pace" compared to my past disaster-ridden adventures.

After I talked with them, I did some research, just as I intended to. I could have never guessed how complicated the type matchup with Pokémon Types was, especially since, among other things, Bug-type moves were strong against Dark-types. I couldn't think of any logical reason as to how that was possible. I knew then that it would take some time for me to get used to it all, even though I had most of it memorized.

We each stayed the night in the room. Nothing notable ever happened that evening or that night. Everything was quiet - eerily quiet, as I saw it. I simply wasn't used to a calm evening or a sound night.

I took a strange liking to it.

A blinding glow flashed me in the face. A window allowed for the Sun's rays to pierce my un-awakened soul. I arose as if I had been dead. Every viewing of my surroundings, every motion I made, every thought I processed, all of it a sluggish blur. It felt as though I'd been drained of the energy it takes to wake up, and as if I'd never gone to sleep in the first place. I didn't even remember going to bed.

"What...time is it?" I asked, hating the Sun, the window, and the morning for contributing to my discomfort.

No answer was given.

I peered around with my eyes still squinting. The sunlight kept me guessing for a while, but soon my eyes adjusted and I discovered that I was in fact alone. I pushed away the bed sheets which I only just then realized were dark violet in color.

The moment my feet hit the floor, a throbbing pain sliced through my skull, and I had to put my right hand on the bed to keep from falling over; I instinctively placed the other hand on my head. The room rotated and distorted violently; a part of me became somewhat nauseous.

"What...the heck? I don't get migraines!?" No one in my family ever did either, save for my grandma. It couldn't be genetic - Mario had already tested me for chronic conditions like those.

I searched for my 3DS in my pocket, though once I discovered it, I realized that the 3DS would be of no use for me at the moment - according to what my parents told me the night before, Mario was still missing.

"How...could this..." The pain was too much to bear. I stumbled out into the hallway and to the staircase at the back of the Center. The stairs stretched downward into infinity as I viewed them. I took the first step, which quickly became my last. I lost my balance, tumbled erratically the whole way down, and landed with a near-paralyzing _thud_.

A few chairs sat in the back of the Center where the staircase - parallel to the operating room behind the glass wall - was. Ash, Cilan, and Iris were each sitting in one.

"Ahh!" Iris gasped. "Are you alright?" She and the other two came over to help.

"I'll...be fine," I told her, not knowing if it was even true. "Just...get me to Nurse-"

A blast of practically visible sound waves horrifically haunted the area.

"GAAH!" I shouted and covered my ears. "WHAT...IS THAT?"

"It's an alarm!" Cilan answered and looked around for the reason.

My eyes were closed and I feebly huddled along the floor. "Agh! Make it stop!"

A closet directly ahead of where I faced opened, and out darted a dark purple figure. It rushed and padded along as I managed to look up. I didn't see exactly what it was, but it was definitely holding something. A sack of some kind, maybe, or maybe a box. It wasn't clear.

"Stop! Thief!" A voice yelled. Nurse Joy raced from around the corner and followed the same path that the mysterious figure ran. She passed us without even noticing our presence.

It dashed past the staircase, turned left, and headed straight for the back glass doors. The moment it heard Nurse Joy call out "Stop! Give me back that food!", it halted.

My vision was still off, but I could at least make out that the thief was feline in appearance. It obviously was a Pokémon; that, at least, I knew.

Cilan flinched abruptly at the sight of it and stepped back.

Joy got within a few feet of the Pokémon and halted. "Alright, give me that food back!" she shouted and rapidly flailed her fist in the air.

It frowned and its eyes welled up with tears. "Purr-loin...purr-looooiin!" it cried helplessly.

"Oh...dear..." Nurse Joy's compassion was struck. "Look," she said kindly and held out her previously-fisted hand, slowly and gently. "If you'll just give me that sack of food back, I'll forget this ever happened."

"No!" Cilan yelled. "Don't fall for it!"

In the time it took for Joy to turn to Cilan and back to the crying Pokémon, it was no longer crying, and instead possessed an evil grin. It bolted straight toward Nurse Joy with wicked speed, a trail of dark purple light following it. It rammed directly into the nurse's stomach and launched her backward. She landed on her back and cringed in pain, visibly sweating.

"Hey!" Ash shouted.

"You can't do that!" Iris yelled.

"Pikachu," Ash said hastily to his occupied shoulder. "Use Thunderbolt!"

The yellow mouse jumped and its cheeks sparked momentarily. "Pika...CHUUU!" it proclaimed. A beam of golden-yellow charged straight for the feline foe.

In an instant, the deep violet being retreated toward the door, dodging the attack. Sparks flew in all directions upon hitting the floor; Pikachu landed a second later. The thief stopped, glared at Pikachu intently, and grinned evilly once more. It then proceeded to launch its own Thunderbolt - a direct hit.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash said to it. Pikachu, on all fours, pressed on the floor and pushed itself up, despite the sparks of electricity still thrashing around its body.

"I didn't know Purrloin could use Thunderbolt," Iris said, raising an eyebrow.

"It can't," Cilan said, holding up his hands in terrified defense. "But...this Purrloin...must...know Copycat."

I was finally able to see it clearly. It was about Snivy's height, and was slim and feline. Dark purple dominated its fur's color. A tuft of fur covered each of its ears and pointed diagonally away from its head. Its eyes were green with black pupils and a white background, and it had a teardrop-shaped pink marking around each of its eyes; the markings took up a large portion of its face. Two small, cream-colored markings existed between its eyes. Its nose was black, triangular, and considerably small. Its chin and the area around its wavy, cat-like mouth were both cream in color.

Its neck was also cream-colored, with said cream coloring coming down in a v-neck shape; some of its back took on the same hue. Its front two legs began in cream, but, halfway down the leg, zigzagged immediately into dark purple. Its hind legs were just the opposite, beginning in purple but ending in cream. Its dark violet tail ended in a sharp, crescent, almost fang-like shape.

The thief, whose Pokémon name was evidently "Purrloin," fled immediately. Ash and Iris ran to the door to go after it, but the elusive burglar was gone, food and all.

"Nurse Joy," Cilan said and bent down. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm...alright," she answered weakly.

He held out a hand and helped her up.

Joy thanked Cilan and looked over to the doors. "That Purrloin..."

"You've seen it before?" Ash asked.

"Yes, I have. It's been coming around here for a few weeks now. It loves to steal things from the townspeople and always gets away with it. Everyone is fooled by its innocent charm, no matter what they've heard about it. I guess even _I_ fell for it."

"Speaking of falling for things..." I spoke up. "Could someone...help me up?"

"Oh, sorry about that," Cilan said. "You said you were fine, and with all the commotion..."

"Don't worry about it, Cilan. Just help me up. Please."

"Right." He walked over and held out his hand. At that moment, the alarm bell finally quit ringing.

"So...Timothy," Iris said. "What happened with you?"

"Did you slip or something?" Ash asked.

"No, I...didn't slip-or well...not...exact...not...I...not..." Everything around me - Nurse Joy, Ash, Iris, Cilan, Pikachu, the area we were in, the operating room, everything - spun rapidly, worse than before. Pain, sweat, a flushed face, wooziness, drowsiness, all of it combined together in an unspeakable, unending, unnatural way. And then, nothing bothered me, nothing at all. Everything went black.

"_One day, one day soon, you'll meet someone who_-"

I rose up in shock at the voice. "What...that dream again," I thought. "It picked up where it left off, right? But...who...what...I-"

"You're awake!" Iris said, relieved.

"We thought you'd never wake up!" Cilan said cheerfully.

Snivy hopped up onto the bed I laid on. "Sni-vy?" it asked. Its tail drooped, and its eyes were heavy with concern.

"Oh...Snivy. Yeah, I'm fine.."

"You sure?" Iris asked. "That's what you said before."

"Well I mean it. I'll be fine. I've had worse."

"Worse?" Ash asked. "I don't see how it could be worse than just passing out, and out of nowhere like that."

"Yeah," I laughed. "Sorry about that."

"Does this sort of thing happen often?" asked Cilan.

"No. It doesn't, but...I felt like that since I got up."

"Felt like what?"

"Well...I had a massive headache, and dizziness, and things that were loud or bright made things worse."

"It sounds like a migraine," Nurse Joy said as she walked into my view.

"It isn't," I stated. "Or at least, it couldn't be. I don't get those."

"Well, even people who don't usually get migraines can get them when under stress."

"No, I've been under worse stress before than what I've been in recently, believe me. Wait..." I paused, eyeing the room. "Where am I?"

"You're in the place where Nurse Joy takes care of injured Pokémon," Cilan answered.

I observed the room more closely. There were multiple white-sheeted beds of varying sizes; white walls; and a few machines for, as Cilan put it when he saw me examining them, making "a Pokémon of any type comfortable." They resembled the pure-oxygen machines that are used for humans.

"Wait...I never...saw this room before."

"It's behind the operating room," Joy said. "We bring Pokémon here for observation and rest, far away from any extra outside noise."

"Oh. Well...thanks for the help."

"You're welcome. It's not a problem at all."

I thought for a moment what exactly I should say. "Any news on that Purr...uhh...what was it? Purrloin?"

"Right, Purrloin. It's long gone by now, I'm afraid. But I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't usually strike the same place twice."

"So...do you think it can be stopped soon?"

"I'm not sure. I've contacted Officer Jenny about it, but she's been rather...busy lately."

"So this...officer...What is he...or she...busy with, exactly?"

"She won't say much. Something about some new organization she's looking into. That's all I know. But...back to you. How are you feeling?"

"My head isn't feeling like someone took an axe to it anymore. That's good I guess."

Cilan laughed. "You guess?"

"Heh," I smiled on the right side of my mouth and looked the opposite direction. "Right...that...what I meant was that I'm still not sure how I feel. I know the headache is gone, but...I still can't figure out what happened. I've never just passed out like that unless I was hurt badly. Falling down the stairs is, honestly, not getting hurt badly, not the way I see it. None of this makes any sense." I looked rightward. "And then there's the matter of me not remembering going to bed at all last night."

"What?" Iris said. "How? You were making jokes and being kinda...corny, I guess, but...how could you not remember going to bed?"

"I was making corny jokes? Oh," I laughed again. "No surprise there. But...I don't remember that, either."

"Strange," Cilan spoke up. "You were so conscious of everything - you weren't drowsy or tired at all. In fact, you were full of energy. Yet...to you, it's as if it never happened. How could that be?"

"I don't know. I've seen and heard some weird things before, but this...Weird stuff like that doesn't usually happen to me. Not that weird, anyway. I...don't know what to say."

"It sounds like you've had some sort of a blackout," Nurse Joy said.

"A blackout?" asked Ash.

"It's when you don't remember what happened during a recent time period," I told him. "You could have been as conscious as ever and not recall a thing."

"That's kinda scary..." Iris said.

"It is, but...I've never had it happen to _me_ before."

"But..." Nurse Joy spoke. "They don't cause headaches and dizziness like what you've had."

"Yeah, I know. That's why it makes no sense to me. I don't think even Mario could explain this one."

"Well..." Nurse Joy looked at a clock on the wall. "Why don't you get some rest? We can discuss this more later when you're well."

"Right. I guess...that'd be the best thing to do."

Each of them left quietly, all except for Snivy. It wanted to keep an eye on me. I initially turned down that decision, but Snivy insisted and insisted and it eventually wasn't worth fighting against anymore.

It sat on my bed and kept a patient watch on my surroundings for a few hours. At some point during that time, I'd fallen fast asleep.

I could see the Purrloin from before. It was fleeing from something which I could not make out clearly, but was something which I felt was more evil than the Purrloin itself. Pikachu was with it, as were Ash, Cilan, and Iris. And then I awoke.

"What..." I thought aloud, frigid sweat sliding down my face. "How did I...and why..." Even though I was seeing Purrloin, it wasn't purple - it was a silhouette of blue, and the things chasing it were of a darker blue color. Everyone else was also colored in blue, yet a lighter shade of blue than Purrloin.

I knew it all had to mean something. It must have a connection to the headache and the forgotten night. I was sure of it.

"Sni-vyyy?" Snivy asked, glaring intently at me.

"Oh, hey, Snivy. Uhh, what...time is it?"

It motioned toward a clock along the wall which hung over the entrance to the operating room. "4:47" was the time.

"Man," I replied, "it's getting late - or, well, late enough that we might not make it to Striaton City today." I paused, thinking back to what occurred earlier. "Let's go see the others and get going. I don't feel at all like I did before."

The moment my feet hit the floor, an overwhelming sense of danger being nearby came over me. "What...is...but...what!?" I had no time to ask questions.

I dashed immediately for the door, opened it, and let Snivy catch up to me. Snivy nodded with affirmation and said, "Sni-**vy**!"

"Right, Snivy. Let's go."

We ran out through the next room - the operating room - and left it as quickly as we'd entered. A quick dash to the right and around the corner led us, after running through a short hallway, to the lobby.

I sensed the "danger" to be outside, so I shuffled straight to the shimmering glass doors; Snivy followed swiftly, staying right behind me. The doors slid open once we reached them.

A view of buildings of varying colors returned to me, though the path leading to the Center, which came directly from Route 1, was made of dirt and paralleled by grass.

"What!? Not you three again!" I shouted; the doors slid closed softly behind us.

Snivy yelled "Snnnniiivvy!" and waved an arm erratically at the three.

It was Team Rocket, only this time, they stood on the ground, having come without their balloon. Instead of using mechanical arms to trap their targets, they utilized a see-through glass container - big enough to fit two or three small Pokémon, yet just light enough that Meowth carried it above his head. The container had under it a blue circular structure which held the glass in place, with a noticeably large red button on the side that faced my allies and me.

Inside the container stood an infuriated Pikachu, which kept releasing considerable amounts of voltage in one half of the storage device. In the other half stood Purrloin, the same violet, feline trickster from before.

From my left to right, Ash, Iris, Cilan, and Nurse Joy were each lined up between the trio and me. When they heard my voice, they turned to face me.

"Really!?" I yelled to the trio, who were just tall enough to be seen in spite of my friends. "You've come back _again_? For a _third_ time?"

Snivy proclaimed its name in a drawn out tone once more and raised its tiny fist.

"I knew you three would come back, but...already? Can't you wait a day or two and let us live our lives for a change!?"

Ash and Iris split off to the left, while Cilan and Nurse Joy went to the right. I ran immediately to be between them; Snivy followed and stood by my right side.

"Prepare for trouble, you need more patience," Jessie conveyed.

"Make it double, as we display our dominance!" James relayed.

"To protect the restless world from devastation!"

"To unite the impatient people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of making new friends!"

"To extend our reach to meeting their demands!"

"Jessie"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off with a blast from the past!"

"Surrender now, that's all we ask!"

While still holding up the container, Meowth stated, "Meowth, think fast!" He then placed the device on the ground and stood in front.

I placed my palm on my face and groaned. "Good grief...it's bad enough you've shown up again, but do you really have to give that speech _every time_ you show up? Wait..." I removed my hand and paused. "What happened to the speech you said is for Unova?"

"It's called a motto!" James scolded and raised a shaking fist.

"Really? That gets you _that_ upset? Whatever, I don't care if it's a copyrighted slogan. You're not taking Pikachu and Purrloin."

"Ohoho!" Jessie said and flipped her hand up and down, pointing it away from her. "We're not here just for those two."

"You see," Meowth stated proudly, "we're the reason why you had a headache this morning."

"Wait what?" I asked, eyes widening.

"Have you forgotten any recent events?" James asked.

"Wha...How did you know about that!?" My left hand flickered.

"We know it because The Boss told us so," Meowth replied. "He knew it would happen."

"Okay, so does this 'Boss' want to show himself so we can talk about this, instead of being a coward? I got a few things I want to say to him. First of all, what did you all _do_ to me? And how do you expect me to just sit by and let you erase my memories?"

"Oh, it's much more than a simple memory erase," James answered.

"In fact," Meowth continued, "that's not even what we did. It's only a side effect, and technically, _we_ didn't actually do it - we merely suggested the act."

"What 'act?' What did you _do_ to me?" My teeth grinded together momentarily the second after finishing the sentence.

"You'll find out soon enough," Jessie answered.

"In about a month," James said, proudly holding his fist up to his chest.

"Once a certain _someone_ is finished," Meowth stated, "you'll know."

"Finished?" I asked, my hand flickering again. "Finished with what?"

"It's not the someone who is finishing something," Meowth answered, "it's the someone who is finish_ing_."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Iris shouted, eyes closed.

"Yeah," I said, still pondering Meowth's statement. "Look, Meowth, I realize you're a Pokémon, but could you please speak English?"

"Hey," he said, whiskers twitching. "I speak it just fine, thank you very much."

"Do you speak it good?" I asked, smiling on the inside.

"Yeah I speak it good! I'm speakin' it right now, you stupid twerp!"

"Exactly, see, you don't speak English 'good,' you speak it 'well.'"

"What is this, grammar class?" Jessie growled. "Look, the fact of the matter is that, in about a month, you're going to experience first-hand what old-school Team Rocket technology can do."

"It's the reason why we're going back to the original motto," James added. "The Unova one was boring anyway."

"Why not just tell me what this 'technological achievement' is now?" I demanded.

"All in good time," Jessie answered, arms folded, eyes passively closed.

"Let's just say..." Meowth cut in; a clever grin molded from his mouth. "A certain...unmentionable thing, and unmentionable because it's a surprise...but...this thing will make you regret ever coming to this world." He began to pronounce an "h," yet stopped himself and awkwardly smiled and laughed at once. "_It_ will be the _end_ of you."

"_End_ of me? What the heck are you build-or, what is your...organization..._building_!?"

"For now," James said, "you won't have the faintest idea."

"Just know that," Meowth continued, "you definitely won't be able to stop-" again, he almost used the sound of an "h," and immediately corrected himself, "_it_. It's too much, too much for even _you_ to handle!"

I took a step back in my thoughts. "Wait," I said. "What does this have to do with the migraine I had? Or the memory loss?"

"More than you can imagine," Jessie said plainly.

"Alright," I said, arms folded. "Then, what's your plan for today, huh? Steal Pikachu and Purrloin, right?"

"Yep, sure is," Meowth responded.

"Well then..." I looked to my left and right, and directed my next statement to my allies: "Why haven't you all done something?"

"Because," Ash said; his hand, held at his side, formed a vibrating fist. "If we do, they'll..."

Cilan caught a glimpse of my concerned look and said, "They'll use that device's electricity to hurt those Pokémon!"

"Oh really?" I replied, a sudden fire stirring up inside me. "So...okay, I know I said you all could handle those three this time, but...you really can't do anything, can you? Alright then, in that case..." I waited for the right statement to make, and then realized an excellent truth. "Team Rocket! If you want to go on and electrocute Pikachu and Purrloin, go right ahead."

"What!?" Iris said with, as I expected, complete confusion.

"What are you saying?" asked Cilan.

"_Don't worry,_" I whispered to Cilan. "_I got this - trust me._"

He nodded, but not before thinking on it for a moment.

"Team Rocket," I said to the trio. "You can go on and use that container's electricity and all. It won't make a difference."

"Why not?" Jessie asked, with a hint of discontent.

James hid his mouth with the palm of his hand and said quietly to his accomplices (although I could still hear him), "This isn't the usual twerp way of things!?"

"What's your deal?" Meowth said to me. "I thought you _twerpy_ types were more considerate!?"

"I'm not like the others," I told him. "And besides...you do realize what 'Type' Pikachu is, right? It's an Electric-type, which even _I_ know means that it will resist electricity."

"Yeah," Meowth said with a crooked smile, "but what about dat Purrloin?"

"What about it? It's been a thief here recently apparently, so the electrocuting might teach it a thing or two."

The three took half a step back. "Well then," James said, "don't think this fools us! All this bluffing of you not caring for these Pokémon will be for nothing. You won't step any further because you care too much. It is true, isn't it?"

"No, James, you're wrong," I answered. "You are completely wrong. I'm _going_ to get those two back, right now. You can't stop me."

I dashed with a slight leftward tilt and headed for James. In reaching him, I snatched up the thin collar of his uniform with my right hand, and held him a few inches off the ground, with my left hand encased in a furious glow of flames. "Now let them **go**," I commanded.

All of my allies, and even Meowth and Jessie, gasped. James merely grinned and chuckled. "None of your skills will matter soon. Not once that time ahead has come."

My eyes widened and my left eye twitched. The flame around my fist grew slightly, dancing, thrashing, and, starting from its core, it morphed into a blue, will-o-wisp-like color. "That's it, James," I said harshly, the flames of life's troubles kindling in me. "I've had _enough_!"

I instantly grabbed his shirt with my flaming left hand, and with both, threw James upward. I launched up and smacked his left shoulder with both hands folded, sending him immediately down to the ground; as I landed, the combination of a 360 degree rotation of myself and a kick blasted him multiple feet away, far past the container, and onto the grassy ground. Jessie instinctively ran to him and patted down the blue flames eating away at his collar.

"Hey!" Meowth yelled. "What do you think you're doin'!? You hurt one of us, you hurt all of us!" He then held up his paws and revealed three-inch wide, ivory-tinted, white claws from each finger.

He lunged at me while shouting "Errrraahhh" and sliced away with rapid motions in every possible direction with the scythes of each paw. I blocked each slash with my flaming hand alone, using careful predictions of where and how he struck. From the left, right, below, and above, each seemingly random slash was deflected with perfect precision. To each of the spectators, the movements I made seemed nearly invisible, yet to me, it was simply a matter of reflexes.

Meowth ceased attacking and landed. "Wha...hey! You didn't get a scratch on ya!?"

"No," I said, with an involuntary rightward tilt of my head. "Now..."

He caught my look of sheer, focused determination. "Oh man...not again," he said, retracting his claws.

I tilted my head once more, and immediately grabbed him by the neck.

"No, wait!" Cilan said. "Don't-"

I pretended not to hear him.

"W-ait," Meowth said in a choked voice. "Let's...talk about this."

"You had your chance," I told him. "We both know how every meeting between my friends and I and you three will turn out now, right? Let that be a warning to you. Don't come back again - I won't go so easy on you next time."

I then threw him upward, jumped up to him, and, with a spinning kick equal to that of what hit James, launched him directly to Jessie. Meowth yelled "Errrryyeeehhaaahh!" as he flew, and latched onto Jessie's face the moment he landed.

"Gah! Get off of me!" Jessie shouted as she tore Meowth off and threw him to the ground.

"Hey," he said, pushing himself back up. "I've...been thrown around enough!"

"Now," I said, my hand still crackling and thrashing with a vicious, fiery aura. "Open up the container. Let them out. **Now**."

Meowth motioned for Jessie to get closer; she walked forward a bit, bent down, and listened.

"Listen," Meowth whispered. "We don't need Pikachu yet anyway. Remember what The Boss said? We'll get all the Pokémon we want soon!"

"Riiiight," she slyly whispered back. "Once you-know-who is done, that fighting twerp won't stand a fighting chance!"

"Okay," Meowth said, having turned around to face me. He grinned and said, "We'll let them go for now. Just press that red button and they'll be outta there."

"Good," I answered. "Now leave."

Meowth and Jessie both left with a "hmmpf" and headed toward a cluster of bushes along the Pokémon Center. They rustled the bushes' leaves, attempting to find something hidden within. Moments later, they lifted up their findings: three pairs of red jet packs rimmed in white which were shaped similarly to that of actual rocket jets - an open cylinder on one end with a curved nose on the other. Jessie strapped one pair of them to her back while holding another in her right hand, and Meowth strapped the third pair - which was much more of his size - to his back.

Jessie hastily ran to James and shook him with her free hand. "Come on!" she said sharply. "Get up! It couldn't have been _that_ bad!"

He awoke with a short groan, saying, "What...is it? What did I miss?"

"We're leaving," she answered. "Now get up!"

"Oh, we're leaving already? But we just got here!"

"Never mind that. Let's just go. Put your jet pack on!"

"Right," he nodded submissively. She handed him the device, which he strapped around himself immediately.

Each of the three pressed a button on the back of their respective rocket; the jets spewed out nearly invisible, clear fuel, propelling the trio straight up. "We'll return in a few weeks!" they each simultaneously proclaimed, angling themselves diagonally away from the area. They became invisible after a few silent moments.

I jogged over to the container, halted, and pressed the button as instructed by Meowth. The device flashed, sparked, and zapped its contents with tremendous electricity; from the button I pressed, an equal amount flowed into me, coursing through my hand, my arm, shoulder, neck, chest, all the way to my feet. I removed the hand at once; the ember of my other hand swelled and thrashed about in this moment, and then calmed down to its lesser blue form.

"They...tricked me!?" I said, my mind's processing thoughts as furiously as the flames around my hand.

Pikachu had an eye closed while standing inside the device, and said, with difficulty, "Pi...ka...chu..." Purrloin's eyes were both closed. It sat there, motionless, attempting to deal with the shock.

"Hang on," Ash said, "don't get too mad over this!" He quickly walked to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

An unnatural rage let itself out inside me; I turned around, grabbed _his_ shoulder, and threw him a few feet, growling "Get _**off**_**!**!" while doing so. Immediately afterward, I faced the two trapped Pokémon, clamped my hands together, drew the hands over to the left of the device, and swung fearsomely at it, a blue line trailing the path. The top half of the glass shattered pathetically into the direction I hit it in. Pikachu gazed in awe and confusion at my actions, while Purrloin hopped out without a second thought.

"Pika-pi!" the mouse said to Ash.

"I'm fine," Ash replied, getting up.

"Timothy," Cilan said, holding out his hands cautiously. "Stop this. There's no need to be angry, not right now. Team Rocket is long since gone."

I rotated my head and turned the rest of me slightly, my eyes half-squinting.

"Look at your left hand!" Ash said firmly. "That can't be normal!"

I did so, and in seeing it, the entirety of my power left me. I fell to my knees, placing my opened hands on the ground in front for balance. The flame shifted to red, and soon faded. I gazed aimlessly at my lap for a silent moment.

"What was _that_ about!?" Iris yelled. "You could've really hurt someone! And why'd you attack Ash!?"

"I..." I said, pausing, viewing the furious faces of my comrades, and Nurse Joy's look of being entirely lost. I stared at what was an inferno of a hand, and said, "I...don't know."


	8. Chapter 7 - A Chance Encounter

**Chapter 7: A Chance Encounter**

"I...don't know," I said a second time, placing my hand on my forehead. "I...I'm sorry, Ash, I...just...don't know...what happened."

"Why didn't you stop?" Iris asked, hands on her hips. "You couldn't have been _that_ angry!"

"I know," I answered, my hand unmoved. "I just...I...I..." I sighed deeply and removed my hand. "I don't know what happened. I haven't used _blue_ fire since..." I shifted my eyes diagonally down to the left, losing myself in thoughts of a past event which still haunted me - the very same which I withheld from revealing to Cilan days before.

"Would someone mind telling me how he...did all that?" Nurse Joy asked, interrupting my memories.

"He's the S-" Cilan nearly revealed my SBL victory, yet recalled my hatred toward the subject. "He just has some very...unique skills," Cilan concluded, almost laughing.

"It's a long story," I told her. "Nothing you should worry about." I waited for someone to speak, and when no one did, said, "Alright, let's-"

An eerie green light flashed outward from me in all directions with a _zshrummm! _and left as abruptly as it came.

"What was that!?" Iris gasped. Cilan and Ash flinched, as did Joy.

"Uhhh," I said slowly. "I have no idea." I gazed back and forth at the palms and fingers of my hands, running through every possible explanation in my mind. I folded the fingers in and stated blankly, "I don't know."

Snivy stepped forward, and from what I could tell, it asked if I was alright.

"I'm fine, Snivy." I stood up, reached down, patted Snivy on its head, and said, "Nothin' to worry about."

All of us stood there for a time. I knew nothing of anything that occurred - the anger, the blind retaliation against Team Rocket and Ash, and especially the glow - and neither did anyone else. At some point, I became uncomfortable not doing anything, and suggested we leave for Striaton City. Ash, Cilan, and Iris each hesitated to answer; I returned Snivy to its Poké Ball, put it away in my pocket, and turned around.

"Alright," I said to the three, my back facing them. "If you don't want to come, I understand - believe me, I do. It should be a straight path from here anyway. Plus my 3DS has a GPS so it...I...I can find my way easily." I paused, then continued. "Nurse Joy, about the mess from that container..."

"It...it's alright," she answered. "I'll call someone to clean it up."

"Okay," I replied. "Then, I'd better go."

I walked straight, turned right, and headed down the lonesome street. The paved road and the asphalt sidewalk I walked on were void of life. I thought of it as odd that the streets were empty at five in the evening, yet I moved on anyway. After a few minutes and one right turn and one left turn, I reached the town's exit. A sign placed along the edge of a dirt path that morphed from the paved road read:

**Leaving: Accumula Town. Ahead: Route 2.**

**Time to walk to next town: 2-3 Days (Striaton City).**

I frowned, not amused at the time mentioned. "Heh," I said to myself, laughing. "Good thing I have plenty of food with me."

The next sentence on the sign read:

**Common Pokémon found: Deerling, Patrat, and Pidove**

That was unexpected. Route signs on Earth only state the number, and little more - if anything - other than what restaurants and attractions exist nearby. They certainly don't list what animals live in the area (with the exception of certain animal-crossing signs). "I guess that probably helps people know how to defend themselves," I stated. "Or, I guess, if they want to catch a new Pokémon...that might be useful."

I continued on, the changing autumn leaves of trees welcoming my quest, some of which flew gently through the perfect 60-degree weather. The first step I took on the soft soil led me to hear a voice, which said, "Hold on!"

With one foot on dirt and one on pavement, I turned to view the source.

The voice was Cilan's; accompanying him were Ash and his shouldered Pikachu, along with Iris and her unseen Axew.

"You...you're coming?" I asked. "You don't have to. Really, you don't."

"We are, though," Cilan replied.

I looked upon each of them. My eyes sank low, as I saw the plain expression of fear on each of their faces.

"Okay," I said to them, removing my outer sadness. "I understand. Let's get going, then."

I only let them come because they insisted.

Three days passed. At no point did any of us mention the incident. Instead, in an indirect response to it, Ash, Iris, and Cilan each professed their dreams and goals to accomplish in life (Ash a Pokémon Master, Iris a master of Dragon-types, and Cilan to become a better Pokémon Connoisseur). Each of them also took turns battling Snivy to help it grow stronger. When we needed to eat, Cilan used the non-perishable food I always kept in the treasure chest of mine to make each meal.

The interactions between the three close-to-each-other friends helped me to not feel so un-eased by my previous actions. They each seemed to take turns getting into unnecessary quarrels over the littlest of things, showing they were just as capable of losing their temper as I was.

Those three days were, in short, rejuvenating ones for me.

Finally, we'd reached our destination: Striaton City. A sign read at its entrance:

**Entering: Striaton City. Pop.: 8500**

I nearly said "Only eighty-five hundred and they call it a city?", yet remembered this world's comparatively low population to my home world. The next line caught my attention in a different way:

**Gym: Striaton City Gym. Led by: Cilan, Chili, and Cress**

"Three Gym Leaders?" I asked. "Wait...Cilan!?" I turned to him. "You're a Gym Leader?"

"Oh," he answered, closing his eyes. "How did I not mention that? I am, though. One of them, anyway."

"Huh," I said. "That's a pretty good job for a Pokémon Connoisseur, I'd guess."

"It sure is."

"Still, why-I thought Gyms have only _one_ Gym Leader? This one has three?"

"Yeah," Ash said. "They're Cilan's brothers."

"They're triplets," Iris continued.

My eyes widened for a second. "Oh."

"It isn't impossible for a Gym to have more than one leader," Cilan said. "It is rare, sure, but not impossible."

"I see." I nodded my head, shifting my lips and eyes diagonally down, to the left. "Should we go ahead and head to the gym then?"

"Wait," Iris said. "We should go to the Pokémon Center first. You should have Snivy checked up on before you battle with it."

"Oh yeah," I sighed. "Right."

We began walking. A line of three-story, brownish brick buildings ran along either side of the paved, charcoal-colored street. Wooden steps led up to each house's front porch, which rose to about five feet off the ground.

Occasionally, people would walk by. Some would wave, and we'd wave back; others were either too occupied with their children or they carried to many groceries to have a free hand. I was relieved to see some sign of abundant life, though. Quiet, action-less towns and cities may be nice sometimes, yet become boring in no time.

The street (and the city itself) was noticeably larger than Accumula and Nuvema Town; it took five minutes to reach the first intersection with another street. We only needed this one intersection, however, since the Pokémon Center was diagonally to the left once we reached that crossway. To the right of the Center sat a blue, cubical, two-story building with a sign as tall as it was, which merely depicted a Poké Ball-esque symbol and nothing more. I tilted my head after viewing it, and Cilan then told me it was a "Poké Mart" - a store for everything a Pokémon Trainer needs.

A moment of walking later, we reached the Center. It had three stories, like the city's regular houses, and seemed to be wider than Accumula Town's Center. I stepped forward, causing the automatic glass doors to swiftly slide open.

I jumped back, the shock almost too intense. A slightly pudgy man not much taller than the four of us stood in the doorway. He wore a red, long-sleeved shirt; blue overalls with yellow buttons; brown shoes; white gloves; and a red cap with a red "M" on its front which was surrounded by a circle of white. Dark brown hair protruded in small amounts from under his cap. His skin was somewhat tan, and his black, bushy mustache profoundly Italian, with his rounded nose blocking some of the 'stache's presence.

My whole body twitched as I shook my head profusely. Cilan gasped, having seen the man, followed by Iris and then Ash.

I closed my eyes, vibrated my head some more with less violence, and then opened. "Wha...uh-ju-wha-bu-wai-I-he-tha-I-bu...MARIO!?"

"Oh? 'Ello!" he answered. "Timothy?"

Ash and Iris gasped again; Cilan remained speechless.

"Mario!" I said, nearing a shout. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Uhh-well, I...it's a long story. Wait...you probably...yeah, that's right. Bowser Junior sent you here."

"Mmm, not exactly."

"Huh? Then...how? And why? Did you know I was here or something?"

"Well, no, I-"

The doors closed shut between us, having detected a lack of motion; I moved in to make them reopen.

"Hmm," he said once the doors slid away. "We should continue this inside."

I laughed. "Yeah, seems like a good idea..."

I was reminded of exactly how Mario talked - a balance of New York City and Italian, though he normally just uses the Italian side for amusement or when under stress. His tone of voice was identical to his more recent appearances in _Mario_ games (especially _Super Mario Galaxy_).

We each sat in red booths aligned with a tan table, booths which were made for six. Mario sat in the booth facing the entrance and on the inside of it. I sat next to Mario, with Cilan across from him, Iris across from me, and Ash next to Iris on the far outside of that booth.

"So, Mario," I turned to him. "Where have you been?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my parents said you've been missing this past week. Were you here the whole time?"

"Oh, right, that. Yes, I was."

"Why?" I asked, eyeing the others, wondering if they'd speak up.

"Well it wasn't by choice."

"But if it wasn't Junior, then..."

"Honestly, I don't know what it was."

I raised an eyebrow. If Mario didn't know how to explain something, there must be a problem. "What happened?"

"Hmm..." He thought for a moment, his gloved left hand caressing his chin. He glanced up at the three facing him, then looked back down at his lap. "Let's see...I've been going over this whole thing and it doesn't make any sense. But, I guess you'll keep asking anyway if I don't tell you, so..."

I nodded, half smiling. He was completely right.

"At that SBL party," he began, "there were a few Smash Bros.-based tournaments, as you remember. At one point, two of them were still going on. One was with Melee, and the other with Brawl. You weren't going to have any more matches for a while, so I guess you left to take a break. When it was your turn in the Brawl one, you were gonna face off against Luigi's playing of Pikachu, and I knew your skill with Lucario wouldn't be a fair match, ya know."

I laughed momentarily. Lucario was the only Pokémon I could use properly in Brawl, and the only one I had respect for before all this started.

"But...you didn't show. No one had seen you in a while. I wish you gave us a heads-up to where you would be, but...then again, you normally wouldn't need to..."

"Still," he went on, "everyone looked and looked and you were nowhere nearby. Luigi went-'n got a Wing Cap and flew around the Castle, but you weren't up there. Samus tried to pick up your heat signature, but that didn't work. Fox and Falco flew in their Arwings to search more of the skies, while Olimar sent out dozens of Pikmin to search the ground. Zelda with her magic, all of the Yoshis with their tracking skills, and Sonic dashing all around the kingdom...nothing gave us any idea where you were. I went and checked the castle's surveillance footage...nothing but static during the past half-hour."

My left eye half-squinted. "E. Gadd's cameras quit working?" I asked.

"They...cut off their power," Mario concluded. "A Toad Guard found scratch marks - huge ones - behind the video screens in the surveillance room."

"Bowser," I answered plainly.

"Yep. It was him alright."

"So, then what happened?" Iris asked, appearing interested in the story.

I glimpsed Cilan; he leaned profoundly inward, his eyes glowing with excitement. "You gonna make it there?" I asked him.

Cilan answered, still facing Mario, "I...I just can't believe you're really here!"

Mario laughed a nasally "Hmph" in response. I leaned to him, blocked my mouth from the others' view with a hand, and told him, "Cilan's a bit of a...video game fan."

"Oh," he laughed. "I see."

"Bet that gets old," I thought, smiling partially.

"What happened next," Mario continued, facing Iris and Ash but eyeing Cilan, "is the...odd part. Peach mentioned seeing Timothy go out to the Courtyard before he disappeared. I went out to check the area and all, and no one was there. Just a cup of...what we call 'SBL punch' on the fountain. I went up to it, looked inside, touched it, and..." He trailed off into nothing, losing himself in thought.

"And?" I asked.

"That's it," he said. "I'm here."

I flinched back. "That's it? You touched that cup and now-"

"Stop," he told me, then leaned in and whispered, "don't mention this to anyone. I have a theory but...just don't say anything."

Mario almost never gets serious, so I simply nodded and whispered back, "Right."

"It's probably nothing," Mario stated to the others in a cheery tone. "Whatever Junior did to send Timothy here probably just stuck around for a while, that's all."

Iris and Ash looked at each other, then at Mario and me.

I knew Mario was lying, yet could do nothing but go along. "Yeah, it's not like things like this haven't happened before."

"So," Mario said, turning to me. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"What," I answered, "you mean the Pok-oh, yeah, that. Well, I...kind of...am staying for a while."

"You are?" he asked. "Oh, well, I shouldn't be that surprised. You always did want to try out something new." He turned to the others. "When Luigi and I were training him, he'd always insist on adding in a different attack or fighting style into whatever he was practicing. And...remarkably...it usually worked."

"Eheh," I said, laughing awkwardly. "I guess I did..."

Cilan thrusted his arms out from under the table and placed his palms firmly on top. He possessed a most exhilarated grin, his eyes bulging with excitement. "You must tell me how you trained Timothy to this point!"

"Umm..." Mario replied, leaning back a bit.

"Please, Mario!" Cilan leaned in closer. "You have to tell me! I'm just dying to know!"

"Whoa whoa, Cilan, calm down," I told him. "You're creepin' him out."

"No, I'm okay," Mario said, having retreated further. "Some other crazed fans have done worse."

"Heh," I laughed. "I can believe it. But...Cilan," I said to him. "I can answer that question for Mario. Just...sit down and...relax for a second."

Cilan slowly slid back into place and listened.

"Basically," I told him, "I pretty much just copied whatever Mario and Luigi were doing - after the first few months when it was nothing but strength and stamina training, that is. But...yeah, I just copied them. That's...all there is to it."

He frowned. "But...what about the fire?"

"That has something to do with me using a bunch of Fire Flowers over time. The ability just...stuck with me after a while, like with Mario. He and Luigi did have to spend a few weeks to help me control it, but...other than that...yeah. That's it."

"Huh," he said, leaning into the back of the booth. "I would've thought it would take more than that."

"Most people wouldn't get that ability so quickly," Mario stated.

"Yeah," I agreed quietly, looking down. "But, anyway, I've got to-oh, I forgot! I have to give Snivy to Nurse Joy!"

I immediately jumped out from the booth and darted to the desk. I noticed before reaching it that the lobby of this place was much more spacious than Accumula Town's - enough to allow for extra booths and tables. There was even a plasma screen T.V. mounted above the red Nintendo Logo door behind where Joy stood.

Once I got to the desk, I saw Joy's cross on her hat to be pink this time.

"How may I help you?" she asked.

I pulled out Snivy's Poké Ball, un-minimized it, and handed it to her. "I need you to check up on my Snivy real quick, if you can."

"Of course," she answered. "I'll get right to it." She turned around and shuffled through the Nintendo door. The door flapped back and forth for a few seconds, then ceased.

I returned to the booth. Ash and Iris seemed puzzled at something, and looked back and forth between Mario and Cilan in the hope that they could answer. Mario nearly replied, yet halted when I approached the table.

"What is it?" I asked, standing at the table's edge.

"They were asking about what you meant by 'Junior,'" Mario answered.

"It's-right. It's Bowser Junior," I told the two. "He's Bowser's first son. He's the reason why I was forced to come here, to this world."

"Oh," they both said.

"I should've been able to stop that, but..." I laughed. "Him and Bowser are never really that much of a problem anymore, so..."

"Timothy," Mario cut in. "What are you doin' next?"

"Heading to a Gym," I said. "The one in this city, wherever it is."

"A Gym!?" he asked. "You're having a Gym battle?"

"You know about that stuff?"

"Well he _has_ stayed in the Pokémon World from time to time," Cilan said. "And every time he comes, people come from entirely different regions just to see him."

I laughed. "No surprise there."

"Well, if you're looking for the Striaton Gym," Mario said, "it's across the street from the back of the Pokémon Center."

"Wait..." I said, tilting my head slightly to the right. "Mario, you say 'Pokémon' a little differently than most people. Usually people will say 'Pok-_uh_-mon,' but you say 'Pok-_ay_-mon.' How come?"

"It's the correct pronunciation," Cilan answered; Mario nodded and said "Mm-hmm."

"Oh," I said blankly. "My bad."

Cilan and Iris laughed shortly, and were stopped by the ringing of a famous and cheery tune over the intercom: "_Bl-dum, dum, duhdum dum!_"

"What was that?" I asked.

"That's the tune that plays when a trainer's Pokémon is ready to be picked up," Cilan answered.

"Yeah," Ash spoke up. "You should go ask Nurse Joy if it's yours."

"Oh, right," I responded, and hurried to the desk. Sure enough, Snivy was there, in its Poké Ball, and in Joy's right hand.

"Here you go," she said with the typical Nurse Joy smile. "Your Snivy is in perfect health." She handed me the Ball and left to go back through the Nintendo door.

"I guess she has other things to do," I said, putting the Poké Ball in my right pocket. Returning to the table, I said to everyone, "I think we should go to the Gym now."

"Already?" Iris asked. "But we just got here!"

"I know," I answered. "But...we just ate an hour ago, so there's no need for us to eat or anything. And I...I just want to get this done. I can't wait anymore."

"Oh," Cilan cut in. "That's why you insisted on eating earlier..."

Mario nodded. "Still planning ahead I see."

"Tch," I smiled. "Yeah, I knew I wouldn't have the patience to wait for the Gym battle once we got here. Can we go though?"

"Ehahaha," Ash laughed. "You're all fired up aren't ya?"

I nodded slowly, somewhat embarrassed at my lack of restraint.

"I suppose," Cilan said, "if you're ready to go, then we can go."

"Want me to give you some pointers?" Ash asked. "I've done this a lot before."

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "What you and the others have told me so far should be enough. I want to find the rest out on my own."

"Good luck, then. Give it your best." He held up his fist just above the table.

"I will." I turned to Mario. "So...I guess you'll be heading back to the MK? I don't see why you'd have to stay here any longer."

"I can't," he said.

'What? Why not?"

The Pixelator's broken," he answered. "And the one in Accumula Town, too."

"Oh."

"I called in some experts to fix both of them, but...instead of going to the next town like I planned on doing, I'd rather stay anyway - to watch your battle."

"Uhh," I said, leaning back. "That...I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm completely new to this."

"I know. But don't sell yourself short. If anything, I doubt this will be an easy victory for your opponent, whoever he is."

"Yeah," I said passively. "We'll see about that."

"Nah," Ash said. "You'll do great." Pikachu raised an arm and agreed, saying, "Pik-_ah_-chu."

"You've been phenomenal for a new Trainer so far," Cilan said, fully believing his statement.

"Cilan's right," Iris claimed. "From what I know, you're doing much better than Ash did when he started his journey in Kanto."

Ash laughed and held up a hand behind his neck. "Come on, Iris," he pleaded.

Cilan and Mario laughed momentarily, as did I.

I soon motioned for us to leave. We each made our way through to the back of the Center, going around the desk on the right side and through a long, door-less hallway. We came upon a pair of see-through doors and stepped up to them; being automated, they slid open.

After a half-minute of crossing the paved street and walking down a short asphalt path, I gazed up at the structure. At about the size of the Pokémon Center we just came out of, the Gym was white, with two pillars standing on either side of the entrance, and a glass dome posing as the building's roof. Small windows lined up with the bottom floor, yet the sun's noontime glare prevented me from seeing inside. A large silver sculpture of a spoon hung above the doorway, which was preceded by five stone steps with wooden railings. On either side of the steps stood a stone statue with a Poké Ball-like shape carved into its top. On each of them, a wooden sign read:

**Striaton City Gym**

**Leaders: Cilan, Chili, and Cress**

I treaded up the steps; the smooth, perfectly-sanded railings gave me the impression that this Gym was designed with careful precision.

I reached the cherry wood door and halted. A multitude of questions burned into me, none of which could be answered. I stiffened up, knowing I would not find peace until entering the Gym. Cracking my knuckles, and with an ever-focused posture, I stated, in a firm and rather deep tone, "Let's **do** this." I grabbed hold of the round, golden, metallic door knob and opened.

In that moment, my body seemed unable to breathe, yet my heart had no problem trying to pound its way out, and neither did my skin find difficulty in sweating.

I refused to speak until viewing whatever awaited me - it'd ruin the excitement.


End file.
